


The Heir and the Spare

by thestanceyg



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fake Dating, OC-Bennie Lewis, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tropes and I don't care, not so nice families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:06:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 27,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3853432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/pseuds/thestanceyg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis doesn't get along with her family,  except for her sister Bennie.  When Bennie graduates from veterinary school, Darcy is determined to visit, but Shield won't let her go without a bodyguard, and they're refusing to give her one.  After some serious begging, Clint agrees to go as her "boyfriend" since her family can't know the truth about her job and life.  The only problem is Clint doesn't want to go.  It's a little too close to what he really wants.  Both are worried they won't survive this weekend for entirely different reasons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Then It's Decided

**Author's Note:**

> Parts of the first few chapters might look familiar if you've read "International Juggler's Day" and "Pig in a Blanket Day" as this is an expansion and continuation of that story.
> 
> (Apparently I can't quit this fic thing cold turkey.)

“Cliiiint,” Darcy whined.  “Please, please, please.”

Clint ignored Darcy and continued to eat his cereal, refusing to look up.  Darcy reluctantly turned back to put away the milk, thinking about her possible options to either get Clint on board or find someone else.  She grabbed her own cereal and sat down dramatically next to him, banging her plate and glass, orange juice sloshing onto the table.  Darcy ignored the mess while Tony gave her a dirty look and wiped the counter.

“What are you after this time Lewis?” Tony asked while he poured a giant cup of coffee.  He might have been using a bowl instead of a mug.  Darcy couldn’t be sure.

“You say that like I always want something.”

“You always do.”

“Oh yes, wanting you to go to bed or eat a decent meal.  Silly me.  Always wanting things.”

“Exactly.”

Darcy stuck her tongue out at him.

“Spill it.  What is it this time?”

Darcy looked at Tony, and decided that sharing could only help.  Maybe he could come up with a solution (or join her in cajoling Clint).  “I really want to go to my sister’s graduation party, but I’m not allowed to go without ‘security’ and Clint won’t go.”

“Why him?”

Darcy mumbled,  “I said I was bringing my boyfriend.”

“So bring your boyfriend.”

She threw her head on the table to hide her embarrassment and groaned, “I don’t have one.”

“Look, Lewis, I get lying, but that seems like a dumb one.”

“Tony, you do realize the irony in that statement, right?  Lying about how long it’s been since you ate something is a dumb lie,” Darcy said looking up at Tony’s mock hurt face.  “Fine.  I can’t go without a bodyguard, and I can’t explain the truth about why he’s there.  Ergo, simple lie.”

“Why a boyfriend?”

Darcy pursed her lips, considering how to explain, then said, “My parents don’t really believe in opposite sex friendships.  They don’t think such a thing is possible.”

“I’m not sure I do either,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“We’re friends and I don’t want to sleep with you,” Darcy countered.

“Yes you do.”

“Sounds like you’re living in a fantasy world there.  How long has it been since you last slept?  You might be delusional.”

Tony looked at the clock, “Just 34 hours.  Not that it matters.”  Darcy was about to lecture him, but he cut her off.  “Why not bring a same sex friend?”

“That makes my only option Natasha, and my parents would never believe that someone like her was friends with me.”

Tony gave her a look she didn’t really understand and asked, “Why Barton?”

“Because technically Shield only gets to dictate my life, not actually help.  According to them I’m a ‘liability’ in the real world, though they said it more like they needed someone to control me rather than protect me.  They’ve refused to give me an agent for this party because it’s ‘not necessary.’  Hawkass here is the only one that isn’t instantly recognizable of my remaining options, so my lie might actually fly.  But he keeps telling me no.”

“I could do it,” Tony offered, apparently sincere.

Darcy laughed.  “No, Tony, you can’t.  That doesn’t fit the story I’ve told my family.  I’m not even allowed to tell them I live here.  They think I live in a shitty studio apartment because that’s the story Shield has given me.”  Darcy stared darkly at her cereal, super pissed that her cover life couldn’t be even a little bit nice. “Besides,” she added, thinking of home, “it’s my sister’s graduation.  It should be about her, not you.  Bennie is an angel and doesn’t deserve the storm that is Tony Stark at her party.”

“Wouldn’t Tony Stark make her party awesome?”

“Tony, when I say an angel, I mean she would make you believe in God because she’s so perfect and selfless.  She is so pure you would feel like a giant asshole for making anyone look at you instead of her.  I, surprisingly, don’t want you to feel that way, so you are a no go.”

“Fine,” he waved away her concern and turned to Clint.  “So why won’t you go?”

“‘M busy,” Clint muttered into his cereal, still not looking at anyone.

“No, you’re not,” Natasha said as she slipped into the kitchen.

Clint’s head snapped up, eyes glaring at the back of Nat’s head.

Tony looked between the steely eyed Clint and the smirking Natasha.  Making up his mind, he clapped his hands.  “Okay kiddo.  Looks like you’re a go.  I’ll lend you a plane.”

“Because that’s not conspicuous.  Tony, if I live in the world’s tiniest postage stamp of an apartment, how would I be able to travel by private jet?”

“It’s an airport.  They won’t know which plane you arrived in.  I’ll have a car, even.  Say you don’t need to be picked up.”

Darcy considered this.  A car would mean the ability to escape.  “Okay.  But I don’t want one of your cars.  I want a rent-a-car.  I want it to have the rental tags and everything.”

“Who even notices that shit?”

“My parents,” Darcy said, taking her bowl to the sink to wash.

“Why would it even matter?  So you borrowed a car from a friend.  Whatever.”

“I’d rather not have to add to my story with another friend that lent me the car.  That implies that the friend lives nearby, and I’d have to explain why they let me have the car.  Is this friend a guy or a girl?  Is the guy lending it to me with hopes of something else?  Why didn’t I just bring the girl?  If they don’t live nearby, how do I know someone that has a car in another city that I can borrow?  It’s too much.  It will be hard enough to explain why I even rented a car, but I can handle that.  I couldn’t deal with the borrowed car.  Just rent the car, please,” Darcy asked.  “And nothing fancy,” she added, thinking about Tony’s inability to not be flashy.

Tony turned to Clint eyebrow raised, indicating this was not negotiable, “Better get packing.”

***

“Just rent the car please.  And nothing fancy,” Darcy said.

Behind Darcy’s back, Tony and Natasha shared a look that clearly read “research necessary.”  (Well, Tony’s read more like “mother-fuckin’ research bitches!” but same difference.)  Something was rotten in Denmark, and Tony needed Clint to help figure it out.  Tony shot Clint a look that he knew Clint would understand.  “Better get packing.”

Darcy walked out of the room.  “Just let me know when we’re leaving, Tony.  The party is Saturday.”

“I’ll have Jarvis send you the details,” Tony replied to Darcy’s retreating back.  As soon as she was gone, he pointed at Clint, “You are going and I don’t want to hear any bullshit reasons why you can’t.”  He turned to Natasha, “You and I are are going to do some digging.  The way she talked about her family was seriously weird.”

“Said the guy with huge daddy issues,” Clint said.

“Yeah, well, I’m also a billionaire inventor.  Messed up family is basically the formula for making that happen.”

“Why do you care about her family?”

“Mystery.  Something to do.  Leverage next time she tries to force me out of the lab.  Take your pick.”

“I think we need to look into it because she lives with us and this might help us better understand her.  Have you noticed that she loves gifts but hates holidays?  I’m curious why,” Natasha said.

“See,” Tony said, waving his mug at Natasha, “I’m not the only one that wants to solve the puzzle that is my lackey.”

Clint sighed.  “Fine.  I’ll do it.  When do we leave?”

“J?” Tony asked.

“A flight plan has been set.  Departure will happen at noon.”

“Better get to it Birdman.  That’s not a lot of time to pack.”

Without a word Clint got up and left.  Tony turned to Natasha.  “He seems to favor sweat pants and ripped t-shirts.  Make sure he packs something that won’t embarrass Darcy.”

***

“Why does it have to be me, Nat?” Clint practically spit as soon as she entered the room.

“First and foremost, you need to deal with this.  So either get over her or get under her.  I don’t care which,” Natasha said moving into the apartment, never looking at Clint.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he sputtered.

“Clint,” she said, turning to look disapprovingly at him over her shoulder.  “It’s insulting you thought I wouldn’t notice.”  She pulled some clothes out of his closet and threw them onto the bed, arranging items with each other.

“Nat!” he sighed.  “How am I supposed to keep her safe when all I will want to do is look at her.”

She fixed her gaze on him, sharp and probing.  “Are you telling me you’re incapable of juggling an op and a crush?”

“I’ll have you know I’ve won multiple juggling awards.”

“Is that a metaphor?” she asked honestly.

Clint gave her a funny look.  “No.  I was a circus kid.  Of course I can juggle.”

Nat stared blankly back.

“Ugh.  Fine.  Just pick out whatever will make me look like a good boyfriend but allow me to hide as much weaponry as possible.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him.  

“Yeah, yeah.  I know,” Clint said grabbing his bag and shoving the things she had set out in it.

Natasha silently went about removing items from his closet and drawers before Clint broke.

“How am I supposed to deal with this family thing that’s going on?”

“What do you mean ‘deal with’?”

“With the way she talked about her family.  About not having guy friends, about not wanting to ‘borrow’ a car?  How do I act?  How would a boyfriend respond?”

“How are you responding right now to it?”

“Confused.”

“So you know how a boyfriend would act.  Just respond based on that.”

Clint frowned, but let it go.  “You said crush and op.  You meant more than a security detail, didn’t you?”

“Would you have known there was a problem if Tony hadn’t been himself and pushed her to explain?” she asked instead of replying.

“Nah,” he said.  “She doesn’t really talk about her family, but who here does?”

“She’s not a government agent nor a superhero.  We have reasons for not having a family to speak of.”

“So why does she?”

“That’s what you’re going to find out.”

“What I don’t get is why she wants to go at all.  It sounds like her home isn’t  favorite place of hers.”

“I believe her sister is the key to that.”

“She did seem to idolize her.”

“Use her, if necessary, to get what you need to know.”

“So you do want me to treat this like a mission.”

Nat looked at him, her head tilted to the side, considering.  “I want you to figure out what you’re doing with her, and I think understanding her family will help with that.”

“Plus you want to hurt someone if they’ve hurt her.  I’ve seen that look on your face before.  I’m not the only one with a soft spot for her,” Clint said.

“Tony seems fond of her,” she responded.

“She knows how he likes his coffee and how to use his systems against him to make him sleep.  Pepper was no idiot when she hired Darcy.  But you know that’s not who I was talking about.”

Natasha hummed as she folded clothes and put them in Clint’s bag.

“She’s a likeable girl is all I’m saying,” Clint tried.

“She’s also going to be mad if you’re running late, which you always are.”  She handed him the now packed bag.  “She doesn’t need saving.  That’s why I like her,” Natasha conceded.  “But I think she might need protecting.”


	2. Now Boarding (Mis)Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Clint hash out their fake relationship on the plane. Both of them think the other isn't interested. Both are wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is probably obvious, but I thought I should mention that this is AU. It is, like, nothing compliant. Also, I haven't seen AoU because my one screen theater doesn't have it yet, so clearly this won't meld with anything that happens in that either.

Darcy was about to be annoyed.  It was noon on the dot, and Clint wasn’t here yet.  She was going to be super pissed if he bailed on her.  But just as she had that thought, she saw him walking up, bag in hand.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

She thought he was giving her a look, but he had sunglasses on, so it was hard to tell.

“Whatever,” she said.  “Let’s do this.”

They boarded the plane and got comfortable.  A stewardess did a quick safety chat with them, and before she knew it, they were in the air.  On their way to her childhood home.  What had she been thinking when she decided to do this?  This was a terrible idea.  There was a reason she had avoided this for so long.  Had she lost her mind?

“You okay there?”  Clint asked, pulling her out of her panic.

“Uh, yeah.  I just realized what I was doing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that I was going back there.  I haven’t looked back since I left for college.”

“So why are you doing this, then?”

“Bennie,” was all she said.

“Okay,” Clint said, not pushing any further.  Then, a few minutes later he said,  “So let’s talk backstory.  What’dya got?”

“So, ummm, I told them we’ve been together for a while.  It’s the only way me bringing you home would make sense.  I’m not usually the type to bring anyone home.”

“Not even a friend?  Because that might have been more believable.”

Darcy looked at him like he was an idiot.  “Like I said this morning, not even friends really.  My parent’s don’t believe that guys and girls are ever just friends, and they were always critical of why girls were my friends.  Let’s just say my family and I don’t get along.”

“Then why did you want to do this Lewis?”

“Because I love my sister.”  She paused, debating saying more.  “She was the only bright spot in my childhood.  Plus she made it possible for me to run away to college.  She begged me to come to this.  I couldn’t say no.  I owe her so much.”  Darcy stared into the middle distance.  “My discomfort for one weekend doesn’t even begin to repay her.”  If she focused on Bennie, suddenly this all felt doable.  It felt like there was a purpose.

***

Clint didn’t want to push, but there was a story there, and he didn’t think he was going to like it.  She still wasn’t looking at him, or really anything.  He put his arm around her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her seat.  She turned watery eyes on him.

“If we’ve been together for months, we better get used to touching each other, right?” he asked before she could say anything, before she could shrug off this casual contact like he assumed she would want to.

“Yeah,” she said, and then surprised him by leaning into him, “I guess so.”

He pulled her closer and she wove their fingers together.  He could feel his heart beat just a touch faster at her easy contact.  Maybe she wanted this too?   _Focus,_ he chided himself.   _This is an op, not a date._  

“We need to work on our story so we say the same things.”  She looked at him, questioning.  “You know, where we met, our first date, our anniversary.  That sort of thing. It’s probably best if we keep it as close to the truth as possible.  Less to forget that way.”  Darcy nodded her head which was now on his shoulder.  Her hair smelled like a flower.  He wished he knew which one.

“So we met at work, then?” She asked, voice still a bit shaky.

“Yeah,” he said.  “Where do we work?  What’s the story Shield gave you?”

“I’m in HR at Building Corp.”

“Is that even a real place?”

“Kind of.  It has a website and working phone numbers and email addresses, as well as a physical address, but it’s just a cover for all the other chumps like me that need a story to tell people.”

He nodded, deciding that was good enough.  “What do I do there, then?”

“I didn’t give them your job.  What do you want?”

“Security makes the most sense.  It would give me a reason to have a gun on me.  Not that they would ever see it.”  He looked down at her, “But I’ll be whatever you want.”

“No, security’s cool.  It would make sense.  Like we met when I worked late and you walked me to my car in the scary unlit lot.”

“Man, Building Corp sucks.  We don’t light out parking lots?  What a bunch of dicks!”

“Already talking like someone in security.”

“Like someone that cares about you,” he countered.  Then, noticing she was uncomfortable, “First date?”

“Movies?  Like our regular team movie nights?”

“Sure.  Pretty sure the first one I was at was…”

“Princess Bride,” she cut him off, surprising him.  “We can say it was an art house showing.”

“How did you know that?” he asked.

She looked up at him, “I remember things.  And, that would make our anniversary..”

“October 17th,” He supplied, and then noticed her staring.  “What?  I can remember things too.”

Darcy smiled at him, and slowly pulled herself up to kiss him softly and sweetly on the lips.  “I think we better get used to that too,” she said.

He gulped. “Yeah.  You’re absolutely right,” and she was kissing him again.

_Yeah,_  Clint thought,   _I am not going to get out of this unscathed._

***

Kissing Clint was a lot easier than Darcy thought it would be.  She thought that it would be awkward and a little uncomfortable.  But kissing Clint was like kissing someone she had been with for years. They didn’t bump noses or teeth.  He didn’t try to pull away while she tried to deepen or vice versa.  It was comfortable.  It was like a well loved sweater-fitting just right.  She didn’t dare look at it too closely, though.  Because then she might think about all the missions where he had to pretend to be with someone and kiss them.  How this was just another op to him.  Ugh.  Now that’s all she could think about.  This was going to be hard.  She ended the kiss and pulled away, twisting again so her back was against his chest, so she didn’t have to look at him and see the lack of interest in his eyes.

“Oh, well, ummm, that was nice,” he said lamely.

“Sure was,” she stupidly replied.  “We won’t need to do that much, though,” she added.  “My family isn’t huge into PDA, so it’s not like we need to make out in front of them.  Besides, it’s only two days.  Not a lot of time for kissing anyway.”  She was rambling.  She needed to stop.  Why wasn’t he stopping her?

“We’ll do it when we need to,” he said.  His voice had an odd ring to it.  He probably found the whole thing a bit distasteful.   _He didn’t want to come at all_ , her mind recalled. _If he didn’t want to come, why would he want to kiss?_

Clint shifted a bit beneath her, and she decided that was her cue to stop leaning on him.  “Okay, so we met at work, we went to moves for our first date, and our anniversary is October 17th.  Is there anything else we should clear up or plan for?”

“That depends on what you’ve told your family and what they’re likely to ask.  Is there anything you told them that we haven’t covered?”

She thought back to the brief conversation she had with her mother a few days earlier.  “No, I try to keep my conversations with them to a minimum.”

“What about your sister?  Did you tell her anything?”

“No.  Actually, she’s probably going to wonder why I didn’t tell her anything.  I didn’t even think about that,” Darcy groaned.

“That’s fine.  Blame it on me.  Say something about how you weren’t sure if I thought we were dating exclusively and so you wanted to wait until you knew if it was more serious.”

“But she’ll wonder why I didn’t share about the awesome first date, even if it was just a casual thing at first.”

“How about inter-office dating is frowned upon?”

“Like she would call my office and tell them.”

“No,but she might tell your parents?”

Darcy snapped her head to look at Clint.  “Bennie is better than that.  She would never.”

He seemed surprised by the veracity of her response.  “Okay then.  We need a different answer then.”

“Can we just avoid it?”

“We can try.”

Darcy thought a bit.  “As long as you seem like a nice guy, Bennie won’t question too much.  She’ll be happy for me and that will allow her to overlook things.”

“She sounds a lot like you.”

Darcy wrinkled her nose.  “I wish.  If I was like Bennie…”  She thought about how to finish the sentence.  If she was like Bennie…..her life would have been different? better?

Before she could decide, the stewardess was there, telling them that they needed to prepare for landing.  As she and Clint put their seatbelts on and arranged their things, Clint leaned over and whispered to her, “If you were like Bennie, we probably wouldn’t have met, and I am certain I would have felt that loss.”

Darcy forgot how to breathe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all-OMG everyone! Thank you to everyone that volunteered to beta! I don't even know how to go about choosing so....at the moment I'm not going to. Dick move, I know. But I'm probably going to get in a few more chapters and be like, "well that was a mistake," and get back on the beta search. I have a list of everyone who offered, so I won't forget, promise!


	3. A Few Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Tony do a little digging, and Clint meets Mrs. Lewis and Bennie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was going to be two chapters (splitting at the end of Natasha and Tony's part), but I just felt like that wasn't a good split, so long chapter instead!

Tony and Natasha were sitting in his lab, discussing what they had learned so far.

“Basically her Shield file is what you would expect.  There are mentions of her interactions with Thor in New Mexico and London.  After New Mexico she was flagged as a ‘liability’ to be watched.  The only interesting bit is a report from after London.”

“What makes it interesting?”

“Two things.  First of all, it says that Shield should reconsider their stance on Darcy and reevaluate her possibility as an asset instead of a liability.”

Tony sipped his coffee.  “Makes sense.  She saw crazy shit and reacted well.  Can’t be said for every civilian.  What’s the second thing that’s interesting?”

“The report isn’t signed.”

“How is that possible?”

“Let me clarify, it appears I don’t have high enough clearance to see who filed the report.”

“I repeat, how is that possible?  Isn’t your clearance level so high that it’s like a color instead of a number?”

“It is.  And, as far as I am am aware, only two people have that kind of clearance, and one of them is dead.”

“So Fury then?”

“But there’s no reason for me not to know if it was him.  Besides, if he filed the report, he would have acted on it.”

“So there’s someone else above you that you’ve never even met?”

“That or someone’s not dead.”

Tony looked at Natasha sharply.  “Is that possible?”

“If it is,” she said, “I don’t know that I’m interested in finding out how.”

“But it might be?”

“After everything we’ve seen?  Yes, it might be.”

Tony was quiet.  Thinking about the implications of what she had said.

“What about you?” Natasha asked.  “What did you find?”

“Ahhh, well, a whole lot of medical records.”

“Abuse?”

“No, actually.  Though I did expect that.”

Tony threw the records up for Natasha to see.  “It starts with her being born five weeks early and spending two months in NICU.  After that she is in and out of the hospital with colic and respiratory issues, which are eventually diagnosed as asthma.”

Natasha looked over the files Tony had provided.  “Looks like she’s been hospitalized throughout childhood for asthma.”

“If you look at her current medication list, she seems to have it perfectly dialed in, but it looks like they spent a lot of time figuring out the exact combinations.”

“According to this,” Natasha tapped where she was looking, “she should have a rescue inhaler on her, and she owns a nebulizer.  Have you ever noticed?”

“No.  But she always has her huge bag, even in the lab.”

“Did you know about this?  It seems like this could affect how she works in the labs.”

“No, I didn’t.”  Tony shrugged.  “That’s probably why she didn’t say anything.”

“What is this?”  Natasha asked.

Tony looked at where Natasha was pointing.  “I’m not really sure.  Jarvis?”

“H.S. Purpura is a disease which causes small, palpable hemorrhages and often involves joint and abdominal pain.  There is no treatment, just symptom management.  Typically the issue resolves itself in a manner of weeks.”

“Pictures?” Tony asked.

Immediately the screen was filled with dozens of pictures of bodies covered in red spots that ranged from looking like hives to bruises.

“It is most common in children, typically under 10,” Jarvis added.  “Sometimes the joint inflammation means movement is very painful.  Some cases are mild and affect primarily the legs while other cases are more severe and can affect the entire body.  In the most severe cases there can be kidney damage.”

“Do we know what the case was for Darcy?”

“If I cross reference her doctor’s visit dates with school attendance records, it appears that she was out for a little over two weeks,” Jarvis answered.

“What about pain medications?  Was she on a lot?”

“According to my research, there is little that can be done beyond prescription tylenol, which was prescribed,” Jarvis said.

“Damn,” Tony said under his breath, “lackey has some history.”

Natasha nodded and then flicked away the graphic images.

“What about school records?” She asked, wanting to change the subject.

Tony threw several new files up.  “Messed up attendance, but I guess that makes sense.  Decent grades.  Took a lot of AP courses.  Mostly a B/C student, though.”

“But nothing that shows a reason why she doesn’t like her parents?”

“No.  All I can tell is she was a sick kid that did average work in above average classes.”

Natasha continued to look over the school records.  “Here’s something interesting” she said after reading an article. “She won the talent portion of her Junior Miss competition, but didn’t otherwise place.”

Tony looked over.  “What’s her talent?”

Natasha looked at him through the corner of her eye.  “Opera.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Natasha flicked the article over to him.  “Nope.”

“Jarvis...,” A video was playing before he could finish the question.

“Holy shit,” Tony breathed.  “That’s the real deal.”

Natasha smirked.  “Looks like your lackey has hidden depths.”

“I guess so,” Tony said, so entranced by the video he didn’t see Natasha snap a picture of him.

***

Once they got to the rental car lot, Darcy immediately started talking the attendant out of the luxury car Stark had reserved for them, and into the most pitiful looking car on the lot.  As he waited, Clint pulled out his vibrating phone.

**Look at the dumb look on his face.** Natasha sent with a picture of Tony.

**Jesus.  What caused that look?**

**Just a little dirt we dug up on your date.**

Immediately Clint shifted back into work mode. **Anything I need to know?**

Instead of an answer, she sent a video.  Clint looked to Darcy, noticed she was still arguing, and wandered around the corner to watch the video.  He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but a teenaged Darcy in a floor length ball gown belting out what sounded like classical Italian was not on the list.

**WTF is this Nat?**

**Hidden depths.  Imagine what she can do with that kind of lung capacity ;)**

**OMG NAT.  NO.**

**Nat yes. ;)**

**I hate you.**

**No you don’t.**

**Okay, I don’t hate you.  Did you find out anything helpful?**

**Not really.  She was sick as a child, and you actually should keep an eye on her lungs.**

**What does “keep an eye on her lungs” even mean.**

**She has asthma.  Make sure she’s breathing well.  Don’t take her breath away too much.**

**You are disturbing.**

**Disturbingly right about you and Darcy.**

**NAT NO.  This is an op.**

**Op…..portunity.  Use it wisely.**

Clint sighed and nearly jumped at the sight of Darcy in front of him.

“I got the car.  Let’s do this.”

“Right,” he said, grabbing their bags and tossing them in the trunk.

“Who were you texting?”

“What?” he asked. _Smooth_ his inner Nat snarked.

“You seemed pretty into your texting.  Something going on?”

“Oh, uhh, no.  Just Nat.”

“Oh,” Darcy said, face clouding a bit.

_Shit.  What did I say wrong now?_  “Yeah, it was just some assignment stuff.”

“Oh,” she said again, face brightening a little.

“She just got some information and wanted to pass it along.”

“I see,” Darcy said, staring at the road, face expressionless.

_This is not going well!  Fix this brain!_  He went to his pocket to pull out his phone and text for help, but then thought about Darcy’s face when he said he had been texting Natasha.  Decidedly not good territory there.  He decided to try and focus more on her and the mission and see if that helped.

“So why this car?  Why not the one that Tony left us?”

“This will just raise fewer questions,” she answered.

Maybe fewer questions from her family, but it was certainly raising plenty of questions for Clint.  “Okay Darcy, I’m going to need some insight here, because so far you’ve just given me a weird sense of dread about this entire weekend.  What am I walking into here?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“Darcy,” he tried again, “if I was really your boyfriend, you would have fully prepped me for meeting your family.  In fact, we’d probably have had discussions about why you never went home for holidays.”

She pulled her eyes off the road to ask him, “How did you know I don’t go home?”

“Really?  How did the orphan know you didn’t go home for holidays?” he tried to joke.

Darcy blushed deeply.  Just looking at it made Clint blush a little himself.  When she had recovered she said, “You’ve heard the term ‘the heir and the spare’?”

“Yes….” Clint said as more of a question than a statement, hoping she would elaborate.

“Well, my sister is the heir and I’m the spare,” she said as though that explained everything, which, of course, it didn’t.

“Okay,” Clint said slowly, trying to figure out how to get answers.  “So why the shitty car then?”

“Because to spend money on anything better is an extravagance I don’t deserve, errrr, can’t afford.”

Clint frowned.  “What if we _had_ shown up in a nicer car?”

“Endless lectures about irresponsibility with money which is a metaphor for how I don’t do anything right ever.”

Clint nodded.  He hoped she knew he was showing her understood, not that he agreed.  “Okay, what about no friends?”

Darcy scrunched her brow as she thought about how to answer.  “Most of my early friends were seen as a distraction from what was important.  I was kinda sick a lot as a kid, so sometimes I would fall behind. When friends came over I wanted to play and put off homework, which wasn’t acceptable to my parents.  They started to say things about how I needed to focus and would be kinda shitty to my friends.  So I just stopped bringing them home.  Of course, when you can’t really go out, you don’t have many friends anyway.”

He assumed she wasn’t allowed to go out because she needed to “focus,” but he didn’t want to ask anymore about that just now.  There were more important issues at hand.  “But bringing home a boyfriend is okay?”

“It is now.  In high school they were ‘only after one thing,’ but now it’s important because I ‘need’ to get married.”  The quotes dripped off of her words.  Clearly she didn’t agree with either aspect of her parents' belief.

For a moment, Clint wondered if he really was “only after one thing,” but drew his thoughts away from that dangerous idea.  He could worry about that alone at night.  Right now he needed answers about the warfield he was stepping into.  Clint could see that the line of questioning had made Darcy tense, so he changed tactics.  “Tell me about your sister.”

“Bennie?  She’s perfect.  She was named for Jane Bennet, and I couldn’t think of a better comparison.  She is sweet and kind and loving.  She is compassionate and a classic beauty.  Seriously. When she was sixteen our parents hired a painter to do her portrait, and he asked if he could put it in an exhibit.  Someone saw it and offered like a million dollars plus for it.  My parents let it be sold because they were so enamoured with the idea that someone would pay so much to have a painting of Bennie in their house. The painter gave them a quarter of the profit since the painting had technically been a commission, and they put it in a trust for her.  She has zero college debt with money to spare.”

Clint noticed that Darcy didn’t have even a hint of jealousy in her voice.  She seemed to genuinely love her sister.  “She sounds nice,” he said, wondering if this was really what Bennie was like.

“She’s a saint.  Whenever she could figure out how to do it without our parents knowing, she would cover some of my college expenses.  She bought most of my textbooks online with hers, which was great.  Textbooks are super expensive.”

Darcy didn’t seem to think it was unusual that the money wasn’t used for both of them to get an education, or that Bennie spending her money on Darcy was, apparently, not okay if their parents knew.   Bennie rose a bit in Clint’s esteem because it didn’t seem that Darcy’s love was one-sided.  He was still curious if she was as perfect as Darcy made her sound, or if she was just a normal person who seemed super nice in comparison to their parents.

“Look, I know you’re curious, but I think it will make sense very soon,” she said as they pulled into a driveway.

The house was a two-story brick colonial revival with large white pillars in front.  He didn’t have much time to take in the house, though, because as soon as the car stopped moving, a person darted out of the house and wrapped herself around Darcy.

“Darcy!” the newcomer cried excitedly, still holding her tight.  Bennie (because who else could it be), pulled back a bit from Darcy and said much softer, “I know it was asking a lot for you to come, and I am so amazingly happy you’re here.  But I also understand if you have to leave.  Mom is, well, being mom.  Just seeing you right now is enough, and I mean it.”

“I’m here for you, and I will not let them chase me away when you want me here,” Darcy answered, pulling away and turning toward Clint.  “Bennie, this is Clint.  Clint, this is my sister, Bennet.”

Clint smiled and offered his hand to Bennet.  She was beautiful, but not any more so than Darcy.  They both had the same dark hair, and bright eyes.  They even had similar lips.  Clint was positive that a painting of Darcy could fetch just as much as Bennie’s did.

“Oh, no!  You have to hug!” Bennie said, grabbing Clint’s hand and pulling him close.  “Please take care of her this weekend,” she whispered in his ear.  “I’ll help when I can.”  She pulled away, and smiled brightly at him.  Clint decided then and there that Bennie was an ally and that she was every bit as good as Darcy said.  

When Clint looked to Darcy, he saw her face fall a fraction.  He looked toward the door where she was looking to see a Stepford Wife walking toward them.

“Oh Darcy,” the woman said, grasping Darcy’s hands and looking her up and down, “you really should be more self aware when shopping.  You look like a pig in a blanket.”

Darcy gave a fake smile.  “Good to see you too mom.”

Clint gritted his teeth, determined to protect Darcy from this harpy.  “I’m sorry you feel that way Mrs. Lewis,” he said meeting her eyes, “I bought it for her on her birthday.”  He turned to Darcy with a sad smile, “Sorry babe.  I didn’t realize you were only wearing it to make me happy.”

He knew instantly he had done the right thing when Darcy’s smile became real and Bennie’s face practically started to glow.

Mrs. Lewis, however, pursed her lips.  “I suppose you must be Clint.”  She gave him a look over as well.  He met her discriminating eyes with a confident smirk.  “Perhaps next time you should seek expert advice when purchasing gifts.  You’re always welcome to call me.”

“Actually, if I’m consulting an expert, I think Darcy would know exactly what she’d like,” he said, smiling down at Darcy and taking her hand.

“But then it wouldn’t be  surprise.”

“Good thing I can call Bennie then,” he smiled, looking over to Bennie who was nodding her head in approval.

Darcy’s mother walked back toward the house without another word.  When she was inside, Bennie turned back to them and smiled brightly at him.  “I like him, Darcy.  You should keep him.”

Darcy looked at Clint and smiled.  “I think I will.”

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

_Just an op, just an op, just an op._  He told himself over and over again as they walked inside.  But in the back of his head, Nat was looking at him disapprovingly.   _No it’s not._  And the worst part was, she was right.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of material from the April Challenge shorts. After this, everything will be totally new!
> 
> Darcy's medical history is a mix of mine and my husband's. I had asthma, and he had h.s. purpera. (I made him retell me the story for this and....goodness. Basically a ton of fluid filled in under his skin causing painful swelling. Essentially any pressure meant pain. Now imagine that starting on your legs and eventually covering your entire body. He was ill for two weeks. He said he basically only slept when exhaustion overcame the pain. Tough for an 8 year old! He lucked out with no kidney damage, though.)


	4. Blushes all Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint meets Darcy's dad, and everyone blushes when sleeping arrangements are discussed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and I fought a lot, but it's finally done! Sorry for the delay!

As they stepped inside the house, Darcy was overcome with a wave of fear that settled into the pit of her stomach.  She couldn’t believe she was back here.  The house looked the same as it ever had.  Sure the actual decor was different, but the atmosphere was the same.  The same soft, polished “we have enough money to not need to say it” glow.  The walls had paintings by local up-and-coming artists instead of family photos.  Everything was done in tasteful neutrals.

Darcy pulled Clint into the house and straight to the kitchen.  Sitting at the island was her father.  Her eyes scanned him, noticing he seemed more run down than normal.  She looked around, and noticed her mom was not in sight, and sighed.

“Hey Dad,” she said softly.

He looked up from the paper he was reading and smiled.  “Well hello Darcy!  It’s been an age.”

“Yes, it has,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

“I see you’ve brought someone?” he asked.

“Oh!  Yes.  Dad, this is Clint, Clint, this is my dad.”

Darcy watched as Clint stepped forward to shake her dad’s hand, clearly wary of what was to come after having met her mother.

“A pleasure, sir,” he said.

Her dad looked Clint over and then said,  “No, no.  Please just call me Jeff.”

“Which room are we in, dad?” Darcy asked, hoping he would know the answer and she didn’t need to find her mom.

“Oh, well, I’m not sure…” he started to say when Bennie cut him off.

“You’re in the blue guestroom,” she said.

Darcy smiled.  the blue room was her favorite.

“Excellent.  Lead the way, B!”

“Have fun,” her dad called as she grabbed Clint’s hand to lead him upstairs, but he pulled away from her.  She suddenly felt self conscious at his balk of her casual contact until she realized he was using both hands to pick up their bags.

_Why would I care anyway? She asked herself.  It’s not like this is real.  Besides, no one would have noticed us not holding hands up the stairs_.  She looked back to make sure Clint was following. When he saw her look at him, he smiled a small little smile which, for reasons unknown, caused her cheeks to flush.  She turned forward quickly to hide her blush.   _What the hell was that?!_ She wondered, not even sure if she was asking about the smile or her reaction.

As a distraction, Darcy asked Bennie, “How’d you pull off the blue room?”

“Super easy,” Bennie grinned.  “We’re in the process of remodeling the other rooms, and somehow the flooring installation got cancelled.  Such a shame.”  She winked at Darcy.

“Oh my goodness Bennie!” she laughed.  “I didn’t think you had it in you!”

When they arrived at the room, Bennie stood in front of the closed door.

“Now, ummmm,” she said, “don’t be too mad.  I did my best, but I couldn’t stop all of mom’s plans.”

Darcy groaned.  “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”

Bennie looked her up and down, debating the truth of this statement.  Finally, she opened the door.

When they stepped inside, at first Darcy wasn’t sure what was so bad about the space.  Her question, though, was soon answered as Clint moved to put their bags on the bed.  Next to the bed was a cot that was also set up.  

Darcy started to laugh.  “Oh my Thor, Bennie!  Is this what you were worried about?”

Bennie turned very red.  “Yes, it was.”

“Bennie, just because mom puts a cot in here doesn’t mean anyone has to use it!”  And then, as soon as she said it, Darcy turned red herself and looked at Clint.

“Aww, babe.  Your house your rules.  I’ll sleep wherever you want me to.”  His tone made her feel warmth pooling in her stomach.

“Well the bed certainly is big enough for two,” Bennie said helpfully.  “Mom couldn’t change that.”

Clint scratched the back of his head. “I, uhh, have never really met someone’s parents, especially not overnight, so I’ll just do whatever you want me to do.” _Just what do I want him to do?_ Darcy asked herself.

“I’m sure that’s what she likes about you,” Bennie said, smirking at him while Darcy hit her on the arm.

Clint flushed red, and wasn’t that an attractive sight?

“So what’s this ‘Oh my Thor’ business?” Bennie asked, interrupting Darcy’s thoughts about a flushed archer.

Darcy stalled, but, to her benefit, her eyes only widened a little.

“It’s just a thing people’ve been saying in the city,” Clint said, pulling Bennie’s focus.

“Oh?” She asked, clearly not swayed.

“Yeah,” Darcy chimed in, “I mean, he was part of the group that saved New York.  It just rolls of the tongue a lot better than ‘Oh my Hulk’ or any of the others.”

“And he does have god-like arms,” Bennie said dreamily.

Clint snorted.  “He does,” Darcy said, giving Clint the side eye.  “But most of them do, really.”

“Ehhh, maybe not all of them,” Bennie wavered.  And just as Darcy thought Clint was about to be insulted, she said, “I mean, Tony Stark’s are made of metal, not man.”

Clint doubled over laughing.

“Anyway, I have some things to do before dinner, so I’ll let you two figure out the sleeping arrangements.  Make sure you’re downstairs at 7 sharp!” Bennie said, as she left the room.  She stopped at the door, gave both of them a pointed look, and then shut the door.

“Sooo,” Clint said, sitting on the edge of the bed, “that give us about an hour to do whatever.”

“That’s just enough time for me to make myself mom-ready.”

“Mom-ready?” Clint asked.

“You heard her in the driveway.  I can’t go to dinner wearing this.  Plus, my hair’s a mess from travel.”

Clint ran his fingers over Darcy’s hair.  “I don’t think your hair’s a mess,” he said.

“You don’t have to be my boyfriend when no one’s around,” she said, turning away from him, worried that her face would give away too much.

“I also don’t have to let you think you look anything less than perfect,” he said.  Then he added, “But it sounds like your mom has specific ideas about what’s appropriate.  Tell me what you need me to do to make this easier.”

“Do you have  button down shirt?”

“I’m pretty sure I put one in my bag,” he said, face scrunching up cutely in thought.

“Wear that,” she said, grabbing her bag.  “I’ll be in the bathroom.”  She all but ran into the bathroom, hoping to retreat from the man that she was having less than platonic thoughts about.

***

Clint groaned and flopped back on the bed.  What was he doing?  Why had he touched her hair and told her she looked perfect?  This wasn’t how this was supposed to go at all.  He turned his head to look at the cot. he would sleep there tonight.  That would help him keep focused.

He could easily imagine what would happen if he didn’t stay focused, or if he found himself in the bed with her.   _Stop it!_ He scolded himself.   _That’s not what you’re here for!_  In fact, he had something else that was bothering him.  Darcy’s dad seemed somehow familiar.  Like he knew him from somewhere, but didn’t know why.  And Jeff certainly seemed to feel the same way.  They had both assessed each other during the handshake.  At first Clint thought it was just a father watching out for his daughter, but there had been something more.  Maybe a flicker of recognition in his eyes.  He needed to talk to Nat.  He pulled out his phone.

“Yes.”

“Uhhh, Nat?”

“I assume you’re calling because you need me to be best man in your wedding to Darcy.  Otherwise there is no reason for you to be calling me instead of kissing her.”

“Uhhhhh, no.  Besides, she’s in the shower.”

“I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

“Nat!”

“Yes?”

“There was a reason I called you, and it was not for you to harass me about kissing Darcy!” he nearly screamed.

“What is it then?”

“I need you to look into something.”

“Whatcha got?” she asked, shifting into work mode.

“I need you to look into Darcy’s dad.  His name’s Jeff.  There was just something about him.  He seemed familiar, and I think he recognized me too.”

“It’s possible he realized who you are from all the New York press coverage.”

“No, this was different.  It didn’t feel like he knew me from a picture.  It felt like someone I’ve met before but couldn’t place.”

“Do you know anything else about him?”

“Not yet, but I’ll see what I can get at dinner.”

“Okay then,” she said, and he could hear her tapping away at a keyboard.

“Thanks.  Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but it felt off.”

“If it felt off, then it’s off.  Now, give the phone to Darcy.”

“She’s in the shower, Nat.”

“I know.”

“Are you serious right now?  She can call you when she gets out.”

“Nope, has to be now.”

“Nat….”

“No really.  I need some details from her so I can work on this search for you.”

Clint sighed.  “Fine,” he said, walking toward the bathroom door and knocking.  “Darce?  Natasha wants to talk to you.”

***

Even though the shower was loud, Darcy distinctly heard “harass me about kissing Darcy!” being yelled by Clint in the other room.

_Ummmm, okay.  What’s that about?_ She wondered, followed immediately by, _Wait, does he want to kiss me?  Because that wouldn’t be so bad.  I mean, if he wanted to.  It wouldn’t be so bad if he wanted to kiss me.  The actual kissing would be very bad.  I mean, not like he’s a bad kisser, just a bad idea.  UGH!  Brain!  FIgure this out._

A knock on the door stopped her thoughts.  “Darce?  Natasha wants to talk to you.”

She looked around the shower like it would somehow give her answers.  “Ummm, sure.  Come in,” she called to him, hoping that was the right choice.


	5. The Tease Before Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint takes the phone to Darcy in the shower because Natasha loves to meddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG guys! I have a beta and she's wonderful. MANY thanks to aggiepuff for making this chapter better than it could have been, and for listening to me talk about Ditka. She's also the one you have to thank for chapter 5 going up so quickly!

What the hell was he doing in the bathroom while Darcy was showering?  Had he lost his damn mind?  As soon as he walked in, he regretted everything.  Of course the shower was huge and had glass doors where steam was the only thing concealing Darcy.  He heard her turn off the shower as he tried very hard not to look her way.

“Ummm, could you hand me a towel?”  she asked.  “They’re in the closet by the sink.”

Clint walked to where she directed him and pulled out a towel, but couldn’t miss the pile of her clothes, bra and panties on top.  His mouth became dry.

“Here,” he said, trying to offer the towel with his head turned away.  Her wet hand brushed his, causing him to tense up to fight his body’s response.

“You can look now,” she said shyly.  He turned, and she was covered by a carefully wrapped towel, hair still sudsy.  “So, Natasha?”  she asked, looking at the phone.

“Oh, yeah.”  He thrust the phone at her.  “I told her you were in the shower, but she said it couldn’t wait.”

Darcy took the phone from him, and he stood there staring at the floor, unsure what to do.

“Hello?”  Darcy said.  It seemed like forever before Darcy spoke again.  “Wait, what?”  His head snapped up, wondering what Natasha was telling her.  Then Darcy’s eyes were on him, looking at him quizzically.  “Are you saying….?”  She asked, listening intently.  Then Darcy looked Clint up and down in a way that made Clint feel like he was the naked one, said “If you say so,” and handed the phone back to him.  He took the phone back from her.  

“Nat?” He asked as Darcy turned back to the shower.  

“Could you get Darcy one more time?  I forgot something,” she said.

Clint turned back just in time to see Dary’s towel drop.

“NOPE!”  He said, heat filling his face.  “Sure can’t.”  He made a speedy exit out of the bathroom.  “I hate you,” he hissed as the door shut behind him.

“Why?  Because you got an eyeful?”

“What if she didn’t want me to see her Nat?  That’s not fair to her.”

“She wouldn’t have gotten back in the shower.  I warned her.”  He could hear the smile in her voice.

“You didn’t ask her anything about her dad, did you?”

“I didn’t need to.  I _did_ need you to see she was interested too.”

“Nat, no,” he sighed.

“I told her to wait if she didn’t want you looking.  She didn’t wait.  Just think about that, okay?”

“Please tell me you’re taking my concerns seriously.”

“Not until you promise.”

Clint stifled a groan; he should have known better than try to change the subject on Nat. “Promise what?”

“Promise to think about how she wanted you to see her.”

“No she didn’t, Nat.”

“Sure she did.  You’re just not thinking about it because you’re too stubborn.  Because you don’t want to think about what that means.  That’s why you have to promise.”

Clint sighed. The woman was like a dog with a bone. “Cross my heart.”

“I don’t know that you have one.”

“Harsh, Nat.”

“You still love me.”

“I guess I might.”

“Begrudgingly, and not like Darcy,” she said smugly.

“Let me know if you find anything.”

“Let me know if you get some.”

“ _Goodbye_ , Nat.”

“Go get some, Clint!”

Clint threw the phone on the bed with a scowl, wishing he could angrily disconnect.  Then he unzipped his bag and hoped Nat had packed him a button down.

***

As Darcy carefully pulled her hair into a low chignon, she thought about the dinner ahead.  It was easier than thinking about the conversation she had just had with Natasha.  She had to make sure everything was perfect.  Focusing on the details would keep her from thoughts off Clint’s face as he looked at her in a towel,  his little yelp when she dropped it.   _STOP,_ she commanded herself.  This was exactly what she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about.  Instead, she rummaged in her bag for the blue wrap dress she had packed.  She applied a “natural evening” make-up look that she knew her mother couldn’t find fault with, and went back into the bedroom to prepare Clint for dinner.

Clint was sitting on the corner of the bed in a pair of navy pants and a soft green button down.  He had rolled the sleeves up to the elbows, and Darcy decided then and there that she was going to have fun tonight regardless of whatever happened with her family.

“Hello handsome,” she called, getting his attention.  She watched as his eyes traveled from slowly up her body, a small smirk on her lips.  “Like what you see?”

She saw him lick his lips as he answered, “Yes, I do.”  And then, as though he caught what he just said, “You look lovely, Darcy.”

Darcy looked over to the alarm clock.  6:50.  “Okay, I’ll have to make this quick so we’re not late.  Here’s the deal with dinner.  Basically, dinner is like a minefield.  Seemingly innocent questions sometimes explode in your face.  I have no doubt that you are going to get grilled tonight.  I’ll back you up however I can, but when my mom asks direct questions, she expects the person she asked to give the answer.  So if she asks me, don’t jump in.”

“Can I ask questions?”

“Yes and no.  You can ask questions to clarify her questions, and you can ask questions that are clearly innocent, but you cannot ask anything loaded, and you cannot ask about anything controversial.  I mean, you can, but it’s better if you don’t.”

“Then I won’t.  I want you to have a good weekend, Darcy.  This is about you, and Bennie, but I’m here for you.”

She smiled and threw her arms around him.  As she hugged him, she said, “I’d like you to have a good weekend too, so let me know if there’s anything I can do to facilitate that.”  As she pulled away, she stopped to kiss him on the cheek.  Then she slipped her hand in his and pulled him up.  “Time for dinner, loverboy.”


	6. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for dinner! Now, if only Clint could focus on anything but Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a bit to get right, and much thanks to aggiepuff for helping me sort this mess out (and congrats on finishing your finals!).

Clint didn’t remember most of the walk to the dining room.  He was too lost in a mist of Darcy’s floral shampoo, and her swaying hips, and her warm hand in his.  He needed to figure out what flower he was smelling, and buy her a bouquet to give her before taking her out dancing, and-- _FOCUS BARTON.  You have a mission!_  He took a deep breath and pulled out Darcy’s chair for her.  He could play the gentleman that she deserved.

“So, Clint,” Mrs. Lewis purred once they began to eat, “what do you do for a living?”

“I’m in security,” he answered, watching Jeff out of the corner of his eye.

“Oh?  Like a police officer?”

“Somewhat.  It’s a private firm.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Jeff said, his wife shooting him a displeased look.

“It can be,” Clint said, “but it’s also necessary.”

“Does that ever scare you, Darcy?” Bennie asked.

Darcy placed a hand on Clint’s thigh. “He’s very good at what he does.  I know he’s been trained to deal with the situations that seem scary, so I know he’s prepared.”   _Huh._  Clint had never really thought about what his work might mean to a civilian girlfriend. _Darcy’s not your real girlfriend_ , he reminded himself.   _This is just for the weekend._  Of course, if Nat was here she would smack him upside the head and mutter, “Idiot,” and didn’t that just sum everything up?

“But how dangerous can private security be, really?”  Mrs. Lewis asked.  “I mean, honestly, ‘private security’ sounds like a nice way of saying ‘rent-a-cop.’”

Darcy’s hand squeezed his thigh in a way he was sure was meant to be reassuring, but the caress that followed made it more arousing.  

“I promise you, Mrs. Lewis, I am a highly trained bodyguard.”

“Oh, I wasn’t under the impression that you were a bodyguard.  Why didn’t you say so to begin with?”

Darcy’s roaming hand was making it hard to answer.  “Because I am more than just a bodyguard.  Any good security team does more than guard just one person. Thus the term ‘private security.’”  And then, after a short pause, to make it seem like an afterthought, he added, “I’m sorry.  I really thought you would understand the implication.”

Mrs. Lewis’s face turned a bit red at his insinuation that she wasn’t smart enough to know the difference.  Clint smiled pleasantly at her and turned to Mr. Lewis. “What about you, Jeff?” he asked, both to cut off Mrs. Lewis’ questions and in the hopes of learning something useful. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I’m just a businessman,” he said, all but dismissing Clint’s question.  “Just a boring office job.”

“Oh but it’s not!”  Bennie gushed.  “Just last week he was in China!  He gets to go to the coolest places!”

_Bless Bennie,_ Clint thought.  If his understanding of the family dynamic was correct, Jeff wouldn’t be able to let the topic drop just yet.

“China’s a pretty large place,” he commented, with a curious expression. “Where in China did you get to go?”

“Hangzhou,” was the short response.  There wasn’t much Clint could get from that.  Hangzhou was home to many different industries.  Jeff’s tone had been firm, final.  The discussion was closed for now.

“Bennie,”  Darcy said, “do you have post graduation plans?  Any job offers?”

“Of course she has job offers!”  Mrs. Lewis scoffed.  “Bennet’s skills are much sought after.”

Bennie blushed.  “I have three interviews lined up, but I’m really hoping the one with the Public Health Service will work out.”

“Isn’t the Public Health Service for human health?” Darcy asked, echoing what Clint was wondering too.

“It is, but they have a division that works on animal-to-human disease transmission.  It’s a great opportunity because it can be a stepping stone to research and teaching positions.”

“That’s not the job I thought you were hoping for,” Mrs. Lewis said, displeasure souring her words and expression.

Confusion crossed Bennie’s face.  “No, that’s the one I said I was excited about.”

“You misunderstand,” her mother said blandly. “That’s not the job I had in mind for you.”

Clint watched worry shutter Darcy’s eyes while Bennet still seemed confused, possibly even shocked.  Clint placed his hand reassuringly on Darcy’s and squeezed it. She flipped her hand up so they were palm to palm, and his thumb traced lazy circles over her soft skin.  Her eyes darted between her mother and sister, but Clint could see her body relax slightly as a fraction of her tension slipped out of her shoulders. She was going to be sore if she didn’t relax a bit more. Maybe he should give her a massage tonight to help with _-NO CLINT.  We’ve been over this!_

Clint watched as Bennie tried to figure out how to respond, but he could tell it wouldn’t matter what she said.  Mrs. Lewis was practically exuding the expectation of submission by Bennie.  It wasn’t hard to see this was the first time she wasn’t going to acquiesce. _Good for her_ , Clint thought. _It’s going to hurt, but it’s necessary._  But it didn’t need to hurt right now.  He jumped back into the conversation to save Bennie from an experience she had probably only ever seen but never experienced.

“What about you, Mrs. Lewis, what do you do?”

Mrs. Lewis turned fiery eyes on Clint.  “Excuse me?” she asked, ice practically crackling in the air.

“We’ve just talked about what everyone else does,” Clint said innocently. “I was just curious what your job is.”

“I am the executive director of Studio 9, the only truly high end art gallery in the area.  We have exclusive contracts with several artists that routinely sell at the six figure mark.”

Clint couldn’t be certain, but it seemed like she had puffed up a bit, just like a bird.

“I’ve always wondered what makes some art more valuable than other art,” he said, fingers intertwining with Darcy’s. The fluttering in his stomach almost made him miss her answer.

“It’s about so much that it’s difficult to explain to those who don’t know art,” Mrs. Lewis sniffed.

“I’ve always prefered art that makes me feel something.”

“Oh really?  And do you actually own anything?” She asked, her voice giving away her expected answer.

“No, I’m not home enough to enjoy it.  Art should be shared, not hidden.”

“Lofty thoughts for a body guard.”

“Most bodyguards worth their salt aren’t dumb.  You can’t be and hope to accurately assess environments.”

“And just how would you assess _this_ environment?”

Clint’s skin prickled at the danger that had just been presented.  Jeff leaned forward slightly in his chair as Bennie pulled back a bit.  Darcy squeezed his hand, but also shrunk back.

“Ahh, but I’m not working now.  I’m here for Darcy, and Bennie too, of course.”  He paused, looking around.  “Should I be assessing for dangers here?  I thought this was a graduation party.” Finally his eyes met with Mrs. Lewis’s and Jeff’s in turn.

“I would hope not,” Mrs. Lewis finally answered as  Darcy rubbed circles with her thumb, softly assuring him that he had done well.  It made Clint want to curl up with her and nuzzle- _FOR FUCK’S SAKE CLINT.  WHAT THE HELL?!_

“But, just the same, I would think that’s hard to shut off,” Jeff said, eyes like steel.

“It can be,” Clint said slowly and he shook off his less dinner appropriate thoughts, “but talking shop isn’t all that interesting.”  He turned to Bennie, “So what do you have planned for tomorrow?”   _Please talk for a while so I can make my brain SHUT UP._

“It’s basically just a fancy lunch.  People can come and go as they please.  I think we hired a DJ, so maybe some dancing.”  Bennie slid her eyes to meet Darcy’s, “Maybe some karaoke?”  

Darcy groaned next to him.  It was more exasperated than anything else, but it made Clint wonder about all the little noises she could make, which made him think back to the video Nat had sent him (and, if he was being honest, comments about her lung capacity).  Luckily ( _was it luck?  really?  Maybe he wanted to explore that thought.  NOT AT DINNER CLINT_ ) remembering the video derailed his more inappropriate thoughts and made him realize why she would be annoyed by the thought of karaoke.

“Do you sing at all, Clint?” Bennie asked, batting her long, dark eyelashes to make her look innocent.  If Clint hadn’t already seen a similar expression on Darcy’s face, he might have been fooled.

“Only in the shower or during a night of drinking,” he said, then winced as he realized that mentioning drinking was probably a bad idea.

“You’ll have to sing with Darcy then!” Bennie cried excitedly before anyone else could chime in on his drinking comment.

“It’s such a shame you haven’t continued with your singing, Darcy,” Mrs. Lewis commented, sipping from her glass.

“I still sing sometimes,” Darcy tried.

“But can you even afford lessons on your pitiful salary?”

Clint’s eyes narrowed at the thinly veiled insult.  No wonder she seemed so bitter about the fake life Shield had supplied for her.  She might not be able to tell the truth, but the lie didn’t have to be so desperate.  It’s like they were trying to make her life harder.  He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out Darcy said (more calmly than he could), “No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t practice.”  Clint was proud of how she stood up for herself, and turned to smile at her.

“She does,” he said, trying to present a united front.  “I could listen to her sing all day.”

“I’m sure you’ve only heard her sing along to whatever trash she puts on her iPod,” Mrs. Lewis sneered.

Clint bristled at Darcy’s mother’s tone. “Well, there’s that,” he said (because that was true, and he absolutely was going to make her do karaoke with him now that he knew she was holding back in the labs), “but the other day she was singing something in Italian.  I don’t know what it was, but she sounded like an angel.”

Darcy turned to him, confused.  “When did you hear that?” she asked.

His cheeks reddened and he glanced nervously down then back up, meeting her surprised eyes sheepishly. “You didn’t know I could hear.  I don’t know that you would have sung if you had.”   _Way to share too much, Barton_ , he chided himself, certain he had shown too much even if it wasn't exactly the truth.

Bennie clapped her hands, a manic grin spreading across her face. “New plan!  Darcy, you and I should do a duet after dinner!”

Clint could see Darcy trying to figure out how to wiggle out of Bennie’s scheme when Jeff said, “Unfortunately, the piano is in need of a tuning.  I don’t think it would do either of you justice to try that tonight.”

“It’s getting late anyway,” Bennie sighed, deflating. “I’m sure Darcy wants to go to bed after all that traveling.”

Clint was certain that there was double meaning behind Bennie’s words, and by the way Darcy’s foot rubbed against his leg, maybe she had the same thought.

“Yes, well, I believe we had all get to bed,” Jeff said, standing. “Tomorrow is a big day.”

Clint and Darcy stood, hands still tangled together.  She smiled blandly at her parents as they all bid each other goodnight.  As soon as her parents were out of the room, and Bennie had left them with a smile and wink, she turned to Clint.

“How did you know about the singing?” she demanded.

Clint faltered, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. _Say something!_ he told himself.  

“I’ll tell you, but it will cost you.”   _Aww, brain!  No!  How is that what you came up with?_

Darcy pulled him up the stairs.  “Name your price.”

_Oh shit,_ was his only thought as he missed a step and stumbled after her.

 


	7. Nat, No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Darcy have a very important post-dinner talk.

Darcy pulled Clint into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them, and then pushing him up against the now closed door, hands on his chest, pressed up against the length of his body.

“I believe you had a price to name?”  She said.

Clint’s eyes looked wild and almost scared for a moment. _Shit,_ she cursed to herself.   _I’ve completely misread this._

“Ummm, I can just tell you,” he finally stammered.

Darcy pulled away from him and walked toward her bag.  “Go on then,” she called, not wanting to look at him.  They still had a day and a half to go, and that was going to be awkward enough.

She heard Clint curse under his breath.  “I just meant that you didn’t have to do anything you didn’t want to.  I could just tell you.  You don’t owe me anything.”

So dinner had been all for show.  “Yeah, I got it,” she said, annoyed at herself for thinking it could have been anything more, for believing Natasha.

“I don’t think you do,” he said as he flopped onto the bed.  “I’m making such a mess of this.  I’m no good at this!”

“No good at what?” She threw back at him, “No good at making a girl think there was something real there?  Because honey, you’re plenty good at that.”

Clint groaned from the bed, but sat up.  “I think you should sit here,” he said, patting the bed next to him.  “I’m pretty sure that’s how this should go when I talk to you.”

Darcy stopped rummaging in her bag and looked at him.  His eyes were sincere, so she went and sat next to him, pulling a face that screamed _Happy now?_

Clint moved to grab her hand but looked at her face and stopped, dropping them awkwardly in his lap.  “Look, here’s what I was trying to say.  I don’t want you to feel like you have to ‘pay’ me for information, especially not information I should give to you freely.  I wasn’t trying to say that…” he waved his hands like that would bring about the word he needed, “all that was unwanted.  I just didn’t want you to do it because you thought you had to.”

Darcy tried to take in everything he said, but failed.  “Okay, we are going to take this one bit at a time because I cannot deal with it all at once.”  She waited for him to nod approval at this plan.  “So, let’s start with the singing.  How did you know about it?”

“Nat sent me a video,” he answered promptly.

“And why did Nat send you a video?”

“Well, first she sent me a picture of Tony looking dumbstruck, and when I asked why he looked like that she sent me the video.”

It was Darcy’s turn to groan and flop back on the bed.  “Are you telling me Tony knows too?”

“Yes?” Clint said as more of a question than an answer.

A weight fell on her stomach.  “Here, you can see the video she sent me and the picture yourself.”

She picked up the phone he had thrown on her and looked at the title of the video that was cued up.  “Ohhhh man!  I can’t believe this is the one she found,” she cried, throwing the phone back on the bed.

“What’s wrong with it?” Clint asked, picking his phone back up.  “I thought you sounded pretty good.”

“I had been sick all week leading up to that.  This was one of the worst public performances I ever gave.  My mom was so mad at me, like I could control being sick!”  Darcy shuddered a bit, recalling the argument they had that night.

Darcy sat up suddenly and looked at Clint through narrowed eyes.  “Wait.  When did she send you this?  How long have you known?”  

“Uhhhh, at the car lot?”

“Is this the information she wanted to pass on?”

“Maybe?”

“Clint!”

“Okay, yes, Darcy, this is what she wanted to pass on.”

“What else did she tell you?”

He avoided looking at her.  “Nothing.”

“What. Else. Clint?” She said.  For a super assassin, he lied for shit.

“Umm, she said you had asthma, so I should make sure you were always breathing fine.”

He clearly wasn’t telling her the whole truth, but she’d get there.  “How did she know that?”

“I think Tony made learning about you his mission while you’re gone,” he said in a rush.

“Whyyyyyy?” Darcy whined.   _What a mess._

“I don’t know, babe, but you can’t stop him from here.  I’m actually surprised he didn’t do it sooner.”

“Babe?” Darcy asked, really wanting to hear the answer.

“Yeah?” he said, looking at her expectantly.

They sat in silence for a moment.  When it became clear he wasn’t going to answer, Darcy said, “Why did you call me babe?”

***

“I didn’t call you babe,” Clint said, perplexed.  She had called him babe.  Right?  

“Yes, you did.  Just now.  You called me ‘babe’ and then said we couldn’t stop Tony from here.”

Clint tried to replay the conversation, but it was just a blank spot.  “Ohhhhh-kay,” he breathed.  “I don’t know why?  It’s a term for a woman?” He tried, hoping she would let this go.

“Yeah, a term people normally use as a term of endearment.”

“I guess….” he stalled.

“Do you call Natasha ‘babe’?”

He laughed.  “Hell no.  She would break my fingers.”

“What about Pepper?” He nodded no.  “Or Jane?” she pressed on.

“I dunno!  It just must have felt right because I don’t even remember doing it!”

The room was silent for a long minute.  

“Clint,” Darcy whispered next to his ear.  He turned to look at her.  “I don’t mind if you call me that,” she said, searching his eyes.

“Okay,” he said, licking his suddenly dry lips, “Good.”

They stayed nose to nose for a moment longer.   _Should I be kissing her right now?  Is that what we’re waiting for?  Brain!  What are we doing?_

Darcy pulled back from him, but didn’t take her eyes off of him.   _I think I missed my cue._

“Earlier you said something wasn’t unwanted.  I’m a little unclear about just what that something was.”

Clint swallowed hard.   _Do not let me down here, self!_  “That something was wherever things were going up against the door.”  He flailed his hands at the offending piece of wood.   _Good job words, hands, not so much._

“Where do you think that was going?” She asked with a coy smile.

_Danger!_ His brain shouted.   _Danger!  Do not fuck this up!_  “Uhhh, I think,” he said, pausing, trying to give himself time to think of a smooth way to answer.   _God, why can’t arrows solve this?  This would be easier if there was an arrow for this._  “I think it was going here,” he finished, resolving to kiss her.

He leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to, but instead her lips came up on his, answering his own question of if this was okay.  It was soft and slow at first, like they were both waiting for something to break.  His hands went to her face, cradling it gently, brushing her hair out of the way.  And then his hands stayed in her hair, getting tangled there as their lips became more insistent and sloppy.  

Darcy’s hands ran down his chest.  Clint’s brain stopped for a second as body tingled with want.   She pushed until he was on his back and she was on top of him, legs straddling his hips.  Her lips left his and he whined a bit at their loss until he felt them in the crook of his neck; nipping at his ear.  

“Darcy,” he whimpered, voice cracking just a bit.  His hands sliding from her hair down her sides, pulling her flat on top of him.  “Slower,” he whispered, as she lowered her head onto his chest.  “We have time,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.  “We have time to do this right.”

“Clint Barton,” she said, tilting her head up to him, “are you trying to be a gentleman?”

“Pretending to be,” he said, stamping down the want vibrating within him.

Darcy laughed, and then yelped, jumping away from him.

“Darce?” He called.  And then, “Oh!” _So, not **want** vibrating; **phone** vibrating._

He pulled out the phone to silence it when he saw it was Nat calling.

“Nat, you have terrible timing.  You’re interfering with my ‘it’s about time’-ing,” he sighed as Darcy slid up next to him, placing soft kisses on his collarbone.

“You should probably go ahead and get your anger done with, because I need to break up your long needed moment.”

“Nat, no,” Clint sighed causing Darcy to pull away from her ministrations.

“Nat yes,” she sighed back.  “We have a problem, and it’s Darcy’s father.”


	8. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's what Mr. Lewis has been up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and I fought non-stop. It REALLY didn't want to be written. So I am throwing it up here before we fight more.

“Remember Buenos Aires?” Natasha asked.

“I really don’t want to,” Clint responded.  That mission had been a mess from the start, and he had spent a little over a month in medical afterwards.

“Who does?” Nat sighed.  “At the very end, when it all went to hell, do you remember the choice we had to make?”

“Yeah.  Follow the money or follow the mark.”

“And we followed…?” she prompted.

“The mark.”

“Which makes Mr. Lewis….”

“The money,” Clint breathed.  This was worse than he thought.

“That’s why you couldn’t place him.  We only got a glimpse before taking off.  I got the same feeling you did when I pulled up his picture.”

“Please tell me he’s gone straight since then,” Clint begged.  That op had been ten years ago.  A lot could happen in that much time.

Darcy was eyeing him with concern.  She could only hear his half, he was sure, but he had gone tense and rigid as Nat talked.

“Would I have called if he had?”

***

“Give me the worst of it,” Clint said.

Darcy sat very still on the edge of the bed, straining to hear what Natasha was saying, but she was getting nothing.  Whatever it was, though, Clint clearly thought it was pretty bad.  Natasha seemed to be talking quite a bit, so whatever the “worst” was, it was pretty involved.

Finally Clint said, “Let me talk to Darcy and see what we can figure out.  I’ll call you back in an hour.”

As he hung up, he turned to Darcy, worry crinkling his eyes and brow.  “Darcy,” he said slowly, “we have a problem.”

“Whatever it is, we can deal with it.  If we need to leave, or if you need to leave, or...or….something else, we can fix it,” she said, rushing to reassure him.

He seemed pained as looked her over.  “Darcy, we don’t need to leave because the problem is here.”

“Here?” She asked.  What could be wrong in her house?  
“Here,”  he repeated.  “Darcy, your dad isn’t a good man.”

That wasn’t what she expected.  She wasn’t sure what she thought he would say, but this was not it.

“He’s…..he’s never hurt Bennie or me,” she tried.  “I mean, he’s totally hands off with us, absent even; but he’s never hurt us.”

“I didn’t think he did, babe,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear.  “But he’s not a good man in my world,” he said, emphasizing the last two words.

His world?  But that would mean…  “As in someone you might meet in the field?” she asked, trying to put the pieces together about how her dad could be like that.

“Yeah, and I actually have met him in the field, and I think he knows it.”

“But how?” she asked.  It made no sense and all of the sense all at the same time.

“This is going to take a bit.  Nat’s forwarding me everything she has, but I’ll tell you what I know so far.”

She nodded at him, silently asking him to explain.

“It starts with Jeff Lewis not being his real name, which is pretty normal in these circumstances, and just a detail in the big picture.  He buys and sells information to anyone able to pay his prices, and he does some money laundering too.  I’m going to guess he does it through the art gallery.  Your mom may or may not be in on it.  We don’t have any proof she is, but that doesn’t mean she’s not.”

While he spoke, Darcy’s hands had grabbed the comforter as her hands balled into tight fists.  When he stopped speaking, he had laid his hands on top of her fists and rubbed circles with his thumbs, slowly coaxing her to relax her hands.

Her dad wasn’t a businessman, and her mom might be in on it.

What.  The.  Hell.

“I’m so sorry Darcy.”

“No, don’t be,” she said, anger starting to bubble up.  “You’re not my father.  You didn’t make those choices.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t feel bad about the situation.”

He could feel bad, but that wouldn’t fix anything.  With new determination she grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes.  “Being sorry won’t fix this, and that’s what we’re going to do.  So how do we fix this, Barton?”

***

God she was hot when she was determined. _NO BRAIN.  Op now.  Fun later_.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.  I can have Nat out  here as soon as 3AM, and she can take you and Bennie away while I deal with this.”

“I am not afraid,” she said, steel in her eyes.  “If he was a non existance with us because of his illegal life choices, I want to make sure he knows that his comeuppance comes from his pissed off, abandoned daughter.”  Her eyes sparkled just a bit.  “Besides, showing my mom how much I am capable of would feel really good.  Shield can’t say shit if my cover breaks because I help take down a bad man.”

“Okay,” Clint said, “but if I feel like things are falling apart, you and Bennie get out of here.  Got it?”

At the mention of her sister’s name, Darcy sobered a bit and nodded her acquiescence.  

“Good, then we need to start planning.”

***

Darcy wasn’t sure what she could contribute, but she knew she wanted to help.  Clint’s face had gone hard; his eyes were no longer teasing, his lips no longer smiling.

“What’s our goal?” Darcy asked. She couldn’t figure out what to do if she didn’t know what they needed.

“Ideally we gather valuable intel before it is destroyed, which we might be too late for already, and we take your dad in.”

“Who is ‘we’?  The Avengers?  Shield? The FBI?”

“Shield,” he said without hesitation.  “He’s been on their radar for a while now.”

“Will we be able to do that, just the two of us, I mean?” Darcy asked, wondering if she could really arrest her father.

“Probably not.  Nat will assemble a team once we have a plan in place.”

“What kind of intel do we need?” she asked.

“Anything we can get, but I’m hoping to unearth some contacts and bank accounts.  This stuff might be electronically stored, or it might be hard copy only.  I know we’ve been tracking him on and off for years, but he always disappeared when we got close.”

“Well,” Darcy said thinking, “he has an office here in the house, as well as his actual office downtown.”  She thought for a moment longer, and then got excited.  “He sometimes stores things in an extra office at the gallery!  I bet that’s where everything is, especially if you’re right about him….them, using it.”  

She still wasn’t sure if she thought her mom was involved, but she wasn’t sure how she couldn’t be, especially if she was right about the gallery office.

Clint nodded.  “This is good.  Okay, I think the best plan is for us to check out the house while Nat sends a team to each of the offices.”

“We should do it during the party tomorrow,” Darcy cut in.  “Bennie made both of them promise to not leave during the party since nearly everyone will be their friends.  Besides, they’ve always loved showing her off.  The offices should be totally clear during the party.”

“Right.  Then I’ll call Nat and set it up.”

Darcy slid up next to him and nipped at his ear.  “Don’t take too long.  I have plans for us tonight.”

Clint kissed her, hard and needy, pulling back reluctantly.  “Right.  Okay.  Yes.” He said.  “Call Nat, then more of that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me make this up to you. Anyone that prompts me on tumblr will get their fic because I took too long on this chapter that was not good enough.


	9. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint gets to speak with Jeff alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 was a much easier chapter than 8. Enjoy!

It had been very late when Darcy and Clint had finally gone to sleep.  After the call to Nat, there had been more strategizing between kisses that made them lose their train of thought.  They both fell asleep in their clothes, tangled in each other.

“Jesus,” Darcy yelled as her phone alarm startled her awake.  Her sudden awakening caused her to sit straight up and elbow Clint in the face.  “Shit, shit shit!  So sorry!” she said, taking his barely awake face in her hands.

“‘S kay,” he sleep slurred at her, hand trying to pat her, but instead just pawing at the air.

“Clint,” she said softly, kissing him on the forehead, “it’s time to get up.”

“‘M good here,” he said, pulling her into him.  Darcy let him, setting a timer for ten minutes.  They could spare ten minutes, right?  He smelled so good, and she really wanted to spend an entire weekend like this.  Ten minutes.  She could do ten minutes.

“Darcy!”  Bennie yelled through the door.  “Clint!  Breakfast is in twenty minutes!”

Clint threw his pillow at the door, and Darcy had to say she agreed.

“Do we have to have breakfast, babe?”  he asked.  “If we skip it will that make life any worse?”

She laughed a little, “In the grand scheme of things, no.  It would be just some pointed comments, but thinking about today, we probably should go.  Everything needs to seem normal until it’s not, right?”

Clint sighed and sat up.  “You’re right,” he said, kissing her on the nose.  “Besides, breakfast might tell us if your dad plans on doing anything about me.”

Darcy nodded.  One of the things that they were most concerned about for today was if Darcy’s dad actually recognized Clint, and what he might do about it.

“C’mon,” she said, grabbing his hands and pulling him up, “time to get dressed loverboy.”

***

Clint stared at his cup of coffee.  He needed about a pot and a half more before he would be fully functional, but everyone seemed to be nursing their one cup.  He looked over at Darcy.  He was certain she mainlined coffee like he did.  There was no other way she was so productive with the scientists.  Just as he was wondering if it would be rude to run out to the gas station and pick up several gallons of coffee, Darcy picked up his cup along with hers and refilled both.

“Darcy, do you really need so much coffee?”

“It’s just a second cup mom.”

Her mom made a tsking sound, but said nothing more.

Darcy placed his mug in front of him, and he fought off the urge to pull her into him and kiss her neck while thanking her profusely for the drink of the gods.  Instead he grabbed her hand and squeezed.  She smiled at him and turned back to the conversation, and Bennie shot a smile at him as well.

Clint was pleased to learn that breakfast was a mostly quiet affair at the Lewis household, and not the minefield dinner had been.  Everyone seemed content to eat and read the newspaper, with a little bit of side conversation.  He smiled a bit as Bennie and Darcy discussed what they were going to wear today.

As he finished his second cup of coffee, breakfast ended and everyone began dispersing to prepare for the party.  Clint started to follow Darcy upstairs when Jeff called out to him.

“Clint?  Could I get your help moving some things?”

Clint looked at Darcy, and saw determination cross her face.  “Go ahead, I’ll just be helping Bennie anyway,” she said.  Knowing that Bennie would be safe with Darcy, he turned and said, “Sure Jeff.  Lead the way.”

Jeff took him to the garage where there were stacks of folding tables and chairs.  “I’ve got guys coming to take care of most of this in an hour or so, but we need to get the food tables out so the caterer can set up.”

“Okay,” Clint said as he grabbed a table from the stack Jeff had motioned to.

“So, Clint,” Jeff said, “what’s your real interest in Darcy?”

“Excuse me?” Clint asked, unsure just what Jeff was getting at.

“Let’s not play games here.  What does a girl like Darcy have to offer a man like you?”

“Errr,” Clint stalled, still not clear if Jeff knew they were on to him.  “I like her?”

_Stupid brain!  That shouldn’t be a question!_

“She doesn’t have a well paying job, nor does she seem to have much ambition to get one.”

“Her job’s fine,” Clint protested.

“She can’t cook unless it’s a baked good,” Jeff went on.

“Have you had her brownies, though?”

“And she dresses like a thrift shop,” Jeff said, ignoring Clint.  “So, tell me, what, exactly, does my daughter have to offer you?”

Clint jerked open the table legs a little more harshly than was strictly necessary.  “She’s kind, and caring, and stands up for what’s right,” Clint said through gritted teeth.

“But is that enough for a man like you?”

Clint flipped the table upright and positioned it.  “Just what do you mean by ‘a man like me’?”

Jeff started walking back to the garage to get another table.  “I mean a man that could get any woman he was interested in.  A slip of a redhead, for instance.”

Clint tensed.   _Shit.  He does remember me_.  “Things change over time,” he said slowly.  “I’m not the man I used to be.  There’s more to a woman than just a pretty face.”

“When are you going to tell her what you really do?” Jeff asked, eyes boring into Clint.

“She knows what I really do,” he replied, returning the intense gaze.  “I really do work security at her building.”

“And what you used to do?”

“Is in the past,” Clint said emphatically.  Then, he decided to take a chance.  “Look, I’m here because I genuinely like your daughter and she asked me to come home with her.  If you want to question my intentions with her, do it now because I’m not a fan of games.  If you just want to question me about my job, well, there’s not much I can say.  Private security means keeping my mouth shut.”

“Fine,” Jeff spit out.  “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

“My intentions are to date her until we decide we want more or less, and then to give her more or less.  I also intend to take her away from here once this weekend is over, and never ask her why she doesn’t go home ever again.  I’m sure somewhere, deep down, you do love her, but you guys are shit at letting her know it.  And I, for one, am not going to make her feel like she owes it to you to try and make you happy when you consistently make her unhappy.”

“You don’t get to come into my house and question my relationship with my daughter!” Jeff practically yelled.

“Maybe you need to think about why that’s something I would even think I needed to do.”

“She doesn’t need you fighting for her.”

“I know,” Clint grinned, “That’s part of what I love about her.”

Clint righted his final table.  “Now, I’m going to go check on her and get cleaned up for the party.  I hope you’re capable of being civil once that starts for Bennie’s sake.”  Clint walked away from Jeff without so much as a glance back, even when Jeff sputtered a bit at this pronouncement.

***

Darcy was sitting in Bennie’s room working on her hair when she heard shouting.  Her fingers stopped moving as they listened.

“I can’t make out any of the words, can you?” Bennie asked.

“No,” Darcy sighed.  “I can’t either, but it sounds like Dad and Clint.”

“What would they have to fight about?”

_So much._  “I don’t know,” Darcy lied, “but it’s stopped now, so we’ll probably find out soon.”

Darcy resumed her braiding, and as predicted, Clint showed up several minutes later.

“Uhhh, hey,” he said, scratching his head.  S _o cute when he does that!_  “I just thought I’d come and see how things were going.”

“Things are good,” Darcy said.

“Well, they will be,” Bennie clarified, “once you tell us what all the yelling was about.”

Clint’s eyes practically raced to Darcy’s at Bennie’s comment.  She nodded to encourage him to speak.

“Oh, umm, well, your dad and I might not have seen eye to eye on me being with Darcy,” he shrugged.  “I think he thought I wasn’t in it for entirely pure reasons.”

She couldn’t help it, Darcy burst out laughing.

“Awww, babe,” Clint complained.

“No, no!”  Darcy laughed.  “I can’t believe you two got into a fight about my virginity!”

Clint turned an adorable shade of red.

Darcy took mercy on him.  “Look, I’m done with Bennie’s hair.  Clint, why don’t you do her make-up while I change?”

“What?” Bennie asked.

“Oh, I, uh, used to work security for a make-up artist that worked with celebrity clients.  She taught me how to do make-up during down time.”

“He’s being modest,” Darcy said.  “He’s brilliant.  Tell him the kind of look you want and consider it done.”  Darcy turned toward the door.  “I’ll be back in a few so he can do mine too.” _Besides, this way you’re never alone._  Darcy had been adamant that Bennie be kept safe through all of this, and taking turns at her side had been an easy decision.

She left the two of them and went to the guest room and nearly screamed when she saw someone sitting on the bed.

“Hi Darcy.”


	10. A Special Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy talks with an intruder and Bennie gets clued in.

“Shut the door Darcy,” the voice said as she stood rooted to the spot.

“Who are you?” She asked, not moving.  Her eyes never straying from the person in front of her.

“You know who I am.”

She shook her head. “I know who you look like, but he’s dead,” she spat out, angry at the imposter.

“I was, but now I’m not,” he shrugged.

Darcy squared her shoulders and stared him down.  “I don’t believe you,” she said, and then with a deadly calm, “You have ten seconds to tell me who the hell you are before I scream bloody murder.”

Instead of speaking, the man reached into his interior jacket pocket, pulled something out, and threw it to her.

She stumbled a bit trying to catch it.  “My iPod?” She asked, slightly confused.

“Yes, Darcy.”

Darcy looked down at the scratched and nicked piece of technology in her hand.  She ran her hands over the familiar cover as she peeled it off.  Stuck inside the cover was a slip of notebook paper, just like she remembered.  With shaking hands she unfolded the paper, read what was written on it, and dropped to the floor, pushing the door shut behind her.

“But you were dead,” she whispered.

“I was,” Phil answered slowly.  “I was for a while, actually.  I know in words and reports what they did to me, but I don’t fully remember, and I think that’s a good thing.”  He continued sitting on the bed, keeping his distance from her.

“Why are you here?”  She asked.

“Because of your dad.”

“Did Natasha send you?”

“No,” Phil said emphatically, “and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell her or Clint you saw me.”

She was flabbergasted.  “What?  Why?  They were devastated at your death.”

“It’s not the right time,” he said almost sadly.

“Will it ever be the right time, Agent?”

“It will,” he replied with conviction.  “But it’s not now.”  He pulled another, smaller package out of his jacket.  “Natasha will be here soon.  She’ll need this,” he said, tossing it to her.  “Tell her whatever you want about how you got it, but you guys won’t succeed without this.”

She caught this package with more grace than the last. “Why did this help have to come from you?  Why not send this to her via someone else?”

“She won’t believe it from anyone else, and you wouldn’t trust anyone else.”  Coulson stood and looked at her.  “Darcy, I failed you ten years ago when we didn’t go after your dad, I failed you in New Mexico when I let you be labeled a liability even though I knew you weren’t.”  He stopped and his normally bland face broke into a frown.  “I wanted Shield to protect you.  I didn’t think they would be so…..”

“Bullshit?”  She said when he couldn’t seem to find the words.  

“Bullshit,” he agreed.  “I really have to go now Darcy.  I hope you’ll keep my secret.  But, even if you don’t, Natasha will need that.  Goodbye.”

Darcy watched as he went out the window, climbing into the tree.  She knew she should go and watch, see who he was with, that he got out safely; but all she could do was look at the small package in her hands.  She carefully unwrapped it.  Inside was a flash drive and a key.  A small, handwritten note simply said, “Accounts and Access” with several codes beneath.  She put the items on the dresser, trying to make them look natural, like she had hunted them down herself and left them there.  After fiddling with it for a minute, she left it alone.  There was still a lot to do, and she needed a shower to help wake her up because she didn’t get as much coffee as she needed at breakfast.

***

“Woah,” Bennie breathed.  “Darcy wasn’t kidding.  You’re really good at this.”

Clint shrugged.  “There was a lot of downtime to learn.”

Bennie stood.  “C’mon,” she said grabbing Clint’s hand.  “Let’s go wait for Darcy.  I want to watch you do her make-up.  Maybe I can pick up a fraction of your talent by watching.”

“Ohh, uhh, I don’t know about that,” Clint said.  “I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“You are being ridiculous,” Bennie said, pulling harder.  “Have you really never seen her just after a shower?  Because that seems kind of absurd considering how you were looking at her during dinner, and I know for a fact she showered then.”

Clint turned very red.  “Oh my goodness!  You’re blushing!”  Bennie gushed.  “It’s okay!  I don’t expect you to not be at her place when she’s in the shower.  Now come on!”

He let Bennie pull him back to the guest room.  The door was shut, but Bennie simply pushed it open and walked in, dragging Clint behind her.  Clint hoped Darcy was dressed, or at least covered.  Not that he didn’t want to see her naked again, just not under these circumstances, you know, her sister being right there and all.

“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Bennie said, pulling him out of his thoughts, “but I don’t think we’re alone.”

Clint immediately began checking the room.  He didn’t have to look hard, though.  Natasha was clearly just as surprised to see them from where she stood in the closet.

“Nat, no,”  Clint sighed.

Natasha’s eyes stayed riveted on Bennie.

“Ummm, question,” Bennie said, voice only trembling a little.  “Why is Black Widow standing in the closet?”  And then, her head whipped to Clint, “And why did you call her Nat?”

Clint held up his hands in a “hold on” pose.  “Bennie, I know Nat professionally, that’s all.”

“Oh my god,” Bennie whispered as she backed away from them. ( _Into a corner,_ Clint noted.   _Not the best tactical decision_.)

Natasha shot a quick look at Clint and held up the dress in her hands.  “I dropped by to lend this to Darcy.  I thought she might like to wear it today.”

_Hell yes!_ Clint thought, practically salivating at the thought.   _That is the hottest dress I’ve ever seen and it’s not even on her yet.  NO.  FOCUS.  Bennie firsr.  Fix this!_

“Why would Black Widow be lending a dress to Darcy?” Bennie asked, chin held up.

“Because I’m her friend,” Natasha said slowly.

“You know, I should be annoyed right about now.  You recognize Nat but not me?” Clint said.   _Oh shit.  I said that out loud!_

Bennie pulled her eyes off Natasha and focused on Clint again.

“Oh my god,” she repeated.  “Does Darcy know?”

At that moment, the bathroom door opened to reveal a towel clad Darcy.  

“Of course I know,” she said, toweling her hair, “I live with them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo many people thought it would be Nat, that I wrote a scene where it was! I'll put that on my tumblr in case anyone's interested.


	11. Surprises for All!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy comes clean, Bennet is determined, and Clint can't focus.

Bennie looked at Darcy with wide eyes.  “You live with them?” she asked in a small voice.

Darcy slid down on the floor next to her.  “I do,” she said.  Her eyes flicked to Natasha who gave her a small nod of approval.  “Bee, the life I’ve been telling you about is a lie.  I don’t live in a shitty apartment, I don’t work in HR.  And, until last night, Clint was just pretending to be my boyfriend.”  She watched her sister carefully to see how she was taking this all in.

“Why did you lie to me?  What did I do wrong?” Bennie asked, tears forming in her eyes.

“No, no no!” Darcy rushed to say.  “You did nothing wrong.  I’ve been bound by contracts and NDAs for the past few years.  Still am, technically.  Kinda hard to keep it a secret when Natasha is lending you dresses, though.”  Darcy paused, petting Bennie’s head a bit while she thought about how to continue.  “I’ve been lying since New Mexico when I met Thor.”

“You met Thor?”

“Technically I tased him and then met him, but yeah.”

“You tased Thor?!” Bennie nearly yelled.

“Hey, keep it down,”  Darcy said, looking toward the door.  “And yeah.  Also, his arms are as awesome as you think they are.”

Bennie smiled and Darcy let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

“And, uh, if I could get you to let me tape you saying that thing about Stark’s arms, I would really appreciate it,” Clint added.

Bennie laughed.  “Oh my god!  I insulted Iron Man’s arms and you live with him!”

“And he’s a total pain the ass,” Darcy said immediately.

“Darcy…,” Bennie said, “if you don’t work in HR, and you live with the Avengers, just what do you do?”

“I get paid to make sure Jane, Bruce, and Tony all eat and sleep regularly, and I also run the official Avengers Twitter account.”

“She also bakes for us,” Clint added, and then practically moaned, “and her brownies!”

Bennie laughed.  “Has she made you her sugar cookies yet?”

“That doesn’t sound all that special,” Clint said while Natasha smacked him across the head.

“It’s not that the cookies themselves are special,” Bennie said, “but she is crazy good at decorating them.”

“I was planning on doing that next month when the scientists will be out at conventions,” Darcy said.  "That stuff takes time, and the scientists three take up most of mine."

“Are we okay now?” Natasha asked.  “Because I’m not here for just the dress.”

“Right,” Darcy said, looking at Bennie.  “Are we going to need help with this?  Because Bee can be devious when properly guided.”

“Oh my goodness.  Could I actually help you do something?  Because that would be so cool.”

***

“Ummm, you might not feel that way when you know what we’re doing,” Clint said, trying to stay focused on Bennie and not the way that Darcy’s towel wasn’t covering much at all any more.  He looked to Natasha for help.

Nat pulled Darcy up from the floor.  “You and I are going to get you ready for this party while Clint talks to your sister.”  Clint made a face at her.  “And Clint, I don’t care what face you make at me, you still have to talk to Bennet.”   _How did she know I made a face?  She wasn’t looking at me._

“Fine, get dressed, but hurry.  We have a lot to plan still, and the party starts soon.”

Natasha gave him a look.  “Yes, yes.  I know.  Fine.  Forget I said anything.”

As Natasha and Darcy disappeared into the bathroom, Clint offered his hand to Bennie so she could get up off the floor.

“Here, sit,” he said, pushing her toward the edge of the bed.  “Some of your eyeliner got smudged.  I’ll fix it while I tell you what’s up.”

“I’m in for whatever.  So before we get to that, you and I need to talk.”

“We need to talk about what Nat, Darcy, and I are doing because I don’t know if you want to be part of it.”

“If Darcy thinks it’s right, then I’m in.  But I need to talk to you about Darcy.”

_Shit, shit, shit._

“Why did she say you were pretending to be her boyfriend until last night?  And when, specifically, last night did she mean?”

Clint scratched his head.  “Uhhhh, technically she wasn’t allowed to come without security to make sure she didn’t break her NDAs.  No one else was available.”

“So when you showed up yesterday you weren’t actually together.”

“No?”   _Dammit Clint.  It’s a statement, not a question!_

“And were you together at dinner?”

“.....no.”

Bennie hummed as he reapplied her winged liner.  “How long have you wanted to be with her then?  Because nothing at dinner was fake on your end.”

Luckily, Clint had pulled away from her because he nearly choked and certainly would have drawn all over her face with the spasm his hand had.

“Long enough to make me crazy,” Natasha called through the partially closed bathroom door.   _Traitor_ , Clint thought.

“A while?” he tried. _Again, not a question!_

“And you did nothing because….?” Bennie prompted.

_Jesus she’s as bad as Natasha._  “Because she’s out of my league.”

Bennie’s face lit up as she cooed, “You’re too cute!”  Her smile broke for a moment.  “I’m still going to threaten you if you dare hurt her, but I don’t think you can because that was adorable!”

“And caught on tape!” Natasha called from the bathroom door where she was holding her phone.

“Nat nooooo,” Clint whined,

“I like her,”  Bennie declared.

“Now tell her what’s going on.  We don’t have much time left,” Nat said, turning back to Darcy.

Clint sighed.  “All of you are out to get me.”

“Because we like you,”  Bennie said.  “Okay, shovel talk later.  What’s happening today that you are certain is going to scare me away?”

_All at once.  Like a bandaid,_ Clint told himself.  “Your dad is huge in the world of selling secrets and laundering money.  We’re taking him in.”

Bennie just sat and stared at Clint. _Shit!  I’ve done this all wrong!_

“That,” Bennie said and then stopped.  “That actually makes a lot of sense.  Mom’s in on it then.”

“We aren’t sure.”

“I am,”  Bennie said, getting the same look in her eyes that Darcy had.  “Several of his last trips included delivering paintings to buyers.  That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I’m not going to pretend I like the lady, but she honestly could be innocent in this.  She could be a front and not know it.”

“I don’t think my dad loves her enough to give her an out like that,” Bennie said sadly.  “She might have been involved against her will, but if things are happening through the gallery, she’s in on it.”  Bennie looked resigned to the truth, and then looked back up at him.  “Do you think that this will help explain why mom’s so mean to Darcy?  I don’t see how it could, but might it?”

“I don’t know.  She might just be a bitch.”

Bennie got an odd look on her face.  “No, I don’t think so.  She’s pretty nice to me.”

“She wasn’t at dinner,” Clint countered.

“True,” Bennie said, contemplating.

“Bee, are you in?”  Darcy asked as she emerged from the bathroom.

Clint’s brain shorted out.  All he could do was stare at Darcy in the emerald dress that clung in all the right places, plunged but didn’t bare, and, basically, made him imagine a whole hell of a lot without actually showing anything.

“Focus!” Nat said, smacking him.

“Sorry, what?”  Clint said sheepishly.

“Bennet is in. So let’s discuss what we need.”

Clint pushed himself into mission mode.  “We need access so we can grab any info we can get our hands on before he knows we’re moving on him.”

“I think I can help with that,” Darcy said, waving toward the dresser.

Clint’s eyes narrowed in on the slip of paper next to the key and flash drive.

“Darcy,” he asked, throat going dry, “where did you get that?”

Natasha’s eyes flicked to his and then to the dresser.  “Darcy……?”  She asked.

“Ummm, I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but I think you might know?”

Natasha swore in Russian while Clint sunk onto the bed.  “But…”

“But,” Darcy agreed, sitting next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping for chapter 12 to go up Wednesday, but then you probably won't hear from me for a week while we go back to IN for a friend's wedding. I'll have a lot of down time while the husband does bridal party stuff, but I'm not sure I'll be able to write with that time. We'll see, but consider this warning for when I don't update for a while.


	12. A Mission Before the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A discussion about why that paper in the iPod is so important, and the girls go out on a mini-mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that I didn't get a chapter up before I left for the wedding. Hopefully you'll fogive me and enjoy this chapter!

“We don’t have time for this right now,” Natasha said through gritted teeth.  Clint agreed with the sentiment, though maybe not the tone.  He wasn’t angry so much as sad and hopeful.  Nat turned to Darcy.  “Did this come from where we think it did?”

“Yes,” Darcy answered emphatically.  Hope surged ahead of sadness.

“And you’re sure?”  Natasha asked.

Instead of answering, Darcy got up and grabbed her iPod off the dresser and threw it at Clint who fumbled while catching it.   _Hands, no.  Work better!_

“Your iPod?” He asked, confused about how this proved anything.

“That’s my evidence it was him.  I never got it back.”  Clint thought back, trying to remember if it had been in the box of items that were returned in New Mexico, and then blushed a hot red.  It definitely didn’t get back to her because he maybe listened to everything on it a few times after the team had left New Mexico and Darcy behind.  Eventually Phil caught him, sighed, and took the iPod from him.  He always assumed it had been returned after that.

“How can you be sure it isn’t a replacement?” Natasha wondered, taking the device in her hands.   _Good question.  Why didn’t I think to ask that?_

“Inside the cover was a little scrap of notebook paper,” was all Darcy said.

“And they couldn’t have replaced that?  It looks like a normal sheet of paper,” Natasha challenged.

“Maybe,” Bennie said, getting up and taking the paper from Natasha, walking over to the dresser.  “But this is from me.  I gave this to Darcy and told her not to read it unless she was in a bad situation.”  Bennie picked up a thin penlight from the dresser and turned it onto the paper, revealing the hidden message.  “She has a UV light too.  We wrote to each other like this a lot.  I’d sign a birthday card to her in normal ink, and then write her messages in the UV ink.  It was a good way to say things right in front of our parents.”

“I kept it in my iPod because I always had it on me,” Darcy said.   _Until I accidentally stole it_ , Clint thought.

“So someone could have recreated this, but they had to be looking for it to be more than just a piece of paper,” Darcy continued.

“Plus, that’s my handwriting,” Bennie added.  “I think it looks pretty legit.”

“What is this?” Clint asked, looking at the message that Bennie had handed to Nat who had handed it to him.

“It’s an emergency account where I was able to stash some money.  It’s also the location of a key to a deposit box at the same bank.”

“What’s in the box?”  Natasha asked.

“I don’t know.  I never used it.”  Darcy said.  Natasha turned expectantly to Bennet.

Bennie suddenly seemed a little ashamed.  “It’s, umm, information about how to get in touch with a lawyer that would answer to me and not our parents, and some copies of stuff I found in Dad’s office.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but I thought it might be something we could use as leverage.”

Nat’s eyes grew hard.  “Did you know what he is?”  Clint frowned at the sharpness to her tone.  She hadn’t spent as much time with Bennie as he had, but he thought Nat was better at reading people than this.  Bennet couldn’t have known.   _She scaring her on purpose.  It’s a test_ , he realized.

“No,” Bennie said quickly, seeming uncomfortable with the intensity of Natasha’s gaze.  “It’s account information for banks not in the US and that seemed weird to me.  I thought he was just hiding money from Mom.  I thought we could use it as blackmail.”

“Bennie!”  Darcy cried.  “But you’re so nice!”

“That doesn’t mean I have to trust the people that are always so hard on you.”  Clint could have kissed Bennie for caring so much about Darcy.  He looked over at Natasha who wore a small smile.   _Test passed._

“Okay,” Clint cut in, realizing they needed to refocus.  “We need that.  Those accounts may no longer be active, but I would guess they’re related to his illegal dealings.”

Natasha nodded, grabbing the key and flash drive off the dresser.  “I can retrieve the key and hit up the box before I head over to the gallery.”

“No,”  Bennie said, “it has to be Darcy or me.  The banker knows us and won’t let you into the box even if you have the key because you’re not one of us.”

“Bennie,”  Darcy said, eyes sparkling.   _Uh oh,_ Clint thought.   _I know that look.  Nothing good ever follows that look._ “Remember how we used to sneak out for candy?”

A smile spread over Bennet’s face.  “I like that plan.”   _Oh God, there’s two of them!_

Darcy turned to Clint and Natasha.  “We’ll go get the stuff at the bank while Natasha heads to the gallery.  Clint, you keep your eye on my parents.  If they ask where we are, say I kicked you out while we had sister time to give Bennie her graduation gift.”

Natasha looked at Clint who just shrugged.  He didn’t really like the idea of not going with them, but he liked the idea of one of them being left alone at the house even less.

“Okay then,” Natasha said slowly, “are you sure you can get out of here without being stopped and that you’ll be safe at the bank?”

“Absolutely,” Darcy said.  “We’ve done this a million times.  We could do it with Clint, but I think that it’s a good idea to have someone keeping their eyes on the parental units.”

Clint sighed.  The girls were going to be separate with no one watching them.  This was the best plan they had, but it was so fucked.

Darcy grabbed Bennie’s hand and pulled her out of the room.

“We’ve got to do this now so it isn’t as obvious.”  Bennie nodded and followed.

As soon as the two were out of the room, Clint turned to Nat.  “I don’t like them being out there without eyes on them.”

“Got it covered,” Nat said waving her phone at him.  “Sam will shadow them.”

Clint nodded.  “Let’s get to work, then.”

***

“Are you sure about this?  Bennet asked as Darcy pulled her back to her bedroom.

“Of course,” Darcy said, brushing off her concerns.  “Besides, we can blame it all on me if we get caught.”

Bennie stopped Darcy and looked at her with concern on her face.  “Darcy, you don’t have to do that.  You don’t have to take responsibility.”

“Of course I do,” Darcy said soothingly.  “I might be younger, but this is how I can help you and protect you.”  Darcy searched Bennie’s still troubled eyes.  “Let me be the person they think I am if we get caught.  You’ve done so much for me over the years.  Let me do this for you.  It’s not much, but it’s what I can do.”

Bennie sighed, and Darcy could tell she didn’t love this idea but wasn’t going to fight it.

“When we are done with this,” Darcy said, trying to help Bennet feel better about everything that was about to happen, “you and I will go back to the Tower and talk about this.  But first we have to get through the next few hours.  Let me play this part so we can get there.”

Bennie gave Darcy a small smile.  “Fine, but only if I get to meet Thor and see his arms for myself.”

“Hmmmm, yes, but you have to say that arm comment to Tony’s face.”

Bennie blanched.  “I would never!”

Darcy laughed.  “I think you might change your mind after you meet him.”  Darcy pushed open the window.  “Now help me onto the roof without tearing this amazing dress Nat loaned me.”

Darcy wiggled out the window and onto the roof, working her way to the edge by the front door.  She dropped down so she could look down onto the front porch to make sure it was empty.  Seeing that it was, she waved Bennie out.  Bennie joined her at the edge of the roof, steadying her as she shimmied around the column and slid down.  Then, Darcy grabbed the footstool from the wicker chair set and stood on it while she supported Bennie on her trip down to the porch.  They put the footstool back and hugged the house as they slid over to the driveway.  

“It’s a 3 mile walk to the bank.  It’s going to be slow going in heels, though,” Bennie said as they stood in front of the garage.

Darcy pulled the car keys from her bra and dangled them in front of Bennie.  “Don’t worry, I came prepared.”  They took one more look and made their way to the car.

“Let’s put it in neutral and push it down to the street so it isn’t as obvious when we start it up,” Bennet said, surprising Darcy.

“I knew you were my sister!” Darcy crowed.

“Where do you think you learned it all?” Bennie said with a smirk.

Darcy laughed.  “Let’s get to the bank.”

***

Sam watched from a car parked in the street as Darcy and Bennet snuck out the window and down the column like they had done it a million times before.  He tensed as they neared the car, ready to jump into action if anyone got between them and their retreat, but just smiled as he watched them push the car to the street.  As he put his car into gear to follow them, he decided that this wasn’t the worst thing Natasha had ever asked him to do.

The drive to the bank was short.  He waited for the girls to get into the bank before heading in himself.  He settled himself in some chairs for customers waiting to see an account manager.  There were several people there already, so it was unlikely anyone would bother him while he waited.  The bank was quiet but efficient.  Darcy and Bennet were already in the back when he arrived, so he checked out all the security in the building and watched the other customers for signs that they were up to no good.

Darcy and Bennet came out after just five minutes, laughing with the banker that was with them.  They each shook his hand and said their goodbyes, and the banker turned back to his office.  As the girls got close to Sam, Darcy’s eyes were darting everywhere, so it was only a matter of time before they landed on him.

“Sam?” She asked, shocked, but trying to stay quiet.

“Didn’t think they would let you go without an escort, did you?”

“Oh, Clint and I are going to have a talk about boundaries,” Darcy complained.

“Are you now?”

“Any boyfriend of mine should know I can tase someone from here to Sunday.”

“Boyfriend?” Sam asked, smiling.

Darcy clamped her hands over her mouth while Sam laughed.

“Well good for you two.  Took long enough.”

“Excuse me?” Darcy squealed as they walked out the bank door.

“Pretty sure Jane won the pool.  You should probably tell her.”

Darcy threw back her head and groaned, so Sam turned his attention to her companion.

He held out his hand.  “Sam Wilson.”

She took his hand and shook it.  “Bennet Lewis.  A pleasure to meet you.”  She broke the shake.  “And, unlike my sister, I’m glad to see that someone cared enough to make sure that we were safe.”  She turned to look at Darcy, “I’m sure he only thought about not losing you or letting you get hurt when you just got together.  Besides, you don’t have a purse.  Do you even have a taser on you?”

Darcy lifted the hem of her dress to reveal a thigh holster holding her taser.  “Present from Nat,” Darcy said, shrugging.

Bennet gave a happy whimper.  “I _totally_ cannot wait for you to take me to the Tower.  Clearly you have a lot to catch me up on.”  

Sam smiled at the thought of Bennet visiting the tower.  “I can show you around when you get there,” he said.  “Because I guarantee that Darcy won’t be able to as soon as the scientists get her back and she finds out how little they have eaten and slept.”

Darcy groaned yet again and Bennet gave him a shy smile.

_ Definitely not the worst thing Nat has asked me to do. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be over soon. Help me decide what's next by answering this short, one question survey. http://goo.gl/forms/6j0AzshgEj


	13. Words With Mrs. Lewis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the girls get home, their mom is waiting on the porch.

“So are you coming back to the house with us?”  Darcy asked.

Sam shook his head.  “No.  I’ll be following you back, but then I’m meeting up with Natasha to finish up at the gallery.  Once all of that is squared away, we’ll be busting up your party.”  He turned to Bennie.  “Sorry about that.”

Bennie waved him off.  “It’s mostly going to be people that our parents want to show off to.  I only invited a few people, and most of them won’t attend because they don’t live around here.”

Darcy turned to her sister, “I didn’t know that this wasn’t your idea.”

“The only thing about this that was my idea was karaoke.”

“Wait,”  Sam said, “you don’t even get to have the party you want with the people you want even though it’s supposed to be for you?”

“Yeah,” Bennie shrugged.

Sam looked at Darcy.  If she was reading this right, they were on the same page.

“You two having a silent conversation without me is kinda freaky,” Bennie said.

Darcy smiled.  “Don’t worry, Sam and I were just discussing how much Tony loves to spend money on parties.”

“And since we’re ruining yours,” Sam added, “I think he might decide you need a do over.”

Bennie squealed.

“But first,” Darcy said, sad to bring her sister down, “we need to break up this party.”

“Right,” said Sam, nodding.  “I’ll see you two lovely ladies home and then I’ll be on my way.”  Darcy watched as Sam smiled at her sister.   _That could be fun_ , she thought as they parted ways and went to their respective cars, documents safe with Sam.

“Sooooo,” Darcy said as soon as they were in the car, “Sam’s cute.”

Bennie blushed bright red.  “He seemed nice.”

“He seemed interested in getting to know you more.”

Bennie swatted at her as she started driving.  “He seemed polite.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s polite in _all_ areas.  You should find out.”

“Darcy!” Bennie yelled.

“I’ll make sure he gets to give you that tour of the Tower.  Consider it a graduation gift.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re welcome.”

Bennie slumped back in her seat a bit with a small smile on her face.

“Shit,” Darcy swore under her breath as they pulled into the driveway.  Their mom was standing on the front porch and did not look happy.

Bennie sat up at her swear and looked at the house.

“We’ll say you took me to get new pantyhose,” Bennie said.  “Mine look good, so we can say I put them on in the car on the way back.”

“Do you think that will work?”

Bennie shrugged.  “It’s better than nothing or the truth.”

Darcy hummed her agreement as she pulled into the driveway.

***

Clint wandered around the kitchen looking for more coffee.  He had kept an eye on Darcy’s parents without them seeing him, but he still needed more coffee to be fully functional.  An entire pot would be preferable.  Ten minutes ago he had left them as they got dressed, and he had spend every second of that time trying to figure out where they kept the damn coffee.

His phone vibrated.   **You better get out front**.  He frowned, but jogged to the front of the house, moving faster as he heard raised voices.

“Mom!” Darcy said, exasperated.  “All we did was go buy some panthose!  What is your problem?”

“You will not talk to me that way,” Mrs. Lewis said icily.  “You’ve always been a bad influence on your sister, and I won’t stand for it anymore!”

“A bad influence?!  I’m a bad influence because I drove her to get pantyhose, which she needed to look presentable for the party?!”

“You snuck out of this house!”

As Clint barged out the door he saw Darcy shaking with anger.

“I’m sorry we simply left without saying anything to you, but I kind of thought we were old enough to run to the store without your permission!”

“Hey guys,” Clint interrupted, hoping to diffuse the situation.

“Don’t get me started on you,” Mrs. Lewis hissed, snapping her head to him. “I saw you at dinner last night.  Touching her like you don’t have any sense of common decency.  I knew you were going to be nothing but trouble.  Just another bit of proof that Darcy still had yet to learn any sense of decorum.  I can’t believe that she brought such filth into my house!”

“MOM!” Darcy yelled.  “What is wrong with you?  Are you seriously upset because he held my hand at dinner?  Are you _insane_?  Literally nothing I do has ever been good enough for you!  I don’t know why I thought this would be any different!”

“It seems that no matter how hard I try to install morals and a sense of propriety into you, you are too dumb to learn!  How can you not see what that looked like?”

Clint’s head was pounding with rage.  How dare she say things like that to Darcy?!  

“Don’t you call her dumb!”  Bennie suddenly shouted.  Everyone’s heads whipped to the previously ignored girl.  “My sister is not dumb!”

“Bennie, you’ve always known your place before.  This conversation does not concern you!” Their mother said sternly.

Bennie looked like she had been slapped.  Clint moved closer to the girls, ready to step in if it got physical, but unclear how to help calm the argument.

“I DO know my place!” Bennie yelled, gathering steam again.  “And that place is to stick up for Darcy when you are being unjust.”  Fire blazed in her eyes.  “You’ve always hated her, and I demand to know why!”

“You have no right to demand anything!  I am your mother and you forget your place!”

“No,” Darcy said, voice disturbingly calm, “you forget your place.  You’re our mother.  You’re _my_ mother.  Mother’s don’t act like this.  What did I do that made you treat me this way?”

“You’ve been nothing but trouble since the day you were born!  You’ve always been headstrong and out of control.”

“Since the day she was born?”  Clint cut in.  “But wasn’t she a preemie?”

Darcy’s eyes searched him, wondering how he knew that.   _Shit.  That was something Nat told me.  Damnit._

“Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is to have a baby in the NICU?”

“Inconvenient?”  Clint cut in before she could say more.  “It’s inconvenient to have a child that needs medical intervention?  You’ve hated her since she was born because she wasn’t perfect the moment she came out?”

“It’s exhausting to sit at the hospital while she does absolutely nothing but lie in  bed.  And answering all the questions people have about her.  Absolutely everyone was interested in her and her health.  No one cared about anything else.”

“You mean you,” Clint nearly spat.

“Of course.  What else would I mean?”

Bennie had gone very pale, and Darcy had stepped back, further away from her mother.

“Did you ever want me at all?” Darcy asked in a small voice.

“I never wanted either of you,” her mom answered.  “But at least Bennet had the good sense to be a good child.”

“Oh my God,” Bennie whispered.

“She was much less of an inconvenience than Darcy ever was.”

Bennie’s mouth took a hard line.  “Here is what is going to happen,” she said, taking command.  “You are not to speak to me or Darcy again until this party is over.  We are all going to put on a happy face until this thing is done.  Do you all understand?”

Clint gave Bennie a curious look while Darcy softly agreed.  Bennie stared down her mother until she finally said, “Fine, though I don’t understand why you want that troublemaker and her loose boyfriend here.  Imagine how that will look!”

“Enough.  The no talking starts now.”  Bennie grabbed Clint and Darcy and started pulling them inside.  “We’ll be down in fifteen minutes, but right now we need to straighten ourselves up.”

Clint allowed himself to be dragged back up the stairs by Bennie.  Once they were in her room and she shut the door, he wrapped Darcy in his arms.  “Don’t worry babe.  This will all be over soon.”  He kissed the top of her head while she took several deep breaths to calm herself.

“Why did you decide we were all going to still do this party?” he asked Bennie.

“Because that is the simplest way to take them down.  The plan was to take them down at the party, so now we don’t need a new plan, and you two are still here to play your part.”

Clint stared at Bennie for a second, and then pulled her into a hug with him and Darcy.  “Are you sure you’re just a vet and not some sort of Pepper Potts mastermind?”

“Can’t I be both?” She asked as Darcy pulled her in tightly.

“Hey, when do you think the most guests will be here?” Clint asked.

“Probably about half an hour in,” Darcy said.  “Why?”

“Well, if we’re going to take them down, might as well make it a show,” Clint said.


	14. Did Someone Say Party?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get this party started! Now with 100% more idiots trying to ruin things!

Darcy, Bennie, and Clint made their way to the yard just as the first guests were arriving.  Mrs. Lewis grabbed Bennie by the arm and positioned her near the entrance to greet everyone as they came in.  Darcy started to make her way over to Bennie, determined to not leave her alone when Clint stopped her.

“She can handle it,” he whispered to her.  “You have a job to do too.  She wouldn’t want you to miss that because you were worried she can’t handle herself.”  She looked up at him as he put his arm around her shoulder.  “Besides, if she’s anything like you, she would really resent the idea that she couldn’t handle herself.”  

Darcy smiled.  Clint was right.  Everyone had their part to play.  Their mom wasn’t going to make a scene while there were guests, and Bennie could handle any whispered digs.  Not that Darcy thought there were be any.  Her mom had said it herself-Bennie had always been a good kid.

They walked over to an empty table and sat side by side.  Clint played with his phone, waiting for updates from Natasha.  Darcy kept her eyes on her parents, making sure she knew where they were at all times.  Clint leaned over and kissed her temple while he texted, never looking up from his phone. _Later_ , Darcy thought, _we are going to discover just how attentive he can be._  She placed her hand on his thigh, just as she had at dinner the night before.  She felt him tense under her hand.  She looked over, and saw the want in his eyes.  She winked and removed her hand.

**Later.** She texted.

**You’re killing me.**

She flipped through her photos and found what she was looking for.  With a wicked smile she sent him the lingerie photo Jane had dared her to take last Girl’s Night.  (The dare had been to send it to a random number, which she had completed as Pepper laughed so hard she almost fell off the chair.  Her face wasn’t in it, so she wasn’t concerned.)

Clint made a strangled noise next to her.

**Seriously babe?**

**What?  You don’t like it?**

**YES I DO.**

And then immediately after that,  **Just it’s hard to focus when you send me things like that.**

**I’m sure that’s not all that’s hard.**

Clint whimpered.

**Does it help if I promise to show you the real deal once this is over?**

**Not really.  Now I have something to look forward to.**

A new text came through from Natasha.   **Stop distracting Clint.**

**How’d you know I was?**

**Because he accidentally sent me this.**  Attached was a picture of a shirtless Clint.

Darcy started laughing.  “Really Clint?” she asked.

“What?”

“You sent Nat that picture, not me.”

He turned a furious red that was too cute.  Darcy couldn’t help herself, she kissed him on the cheek.

“Don’t worry, she forwarded it to me.”

Clint scratched the back of his head.  “I’m, uhhh, not great at that sort of thing.”

“I think you did fine,” she said, petting his arm.  “Later I’ll tell you what I like in my pictures, and I’ll let you decide what you want from mine.”

He turned a lovely red again, and she just laughed.  Her laughter cut off, though, as one of her dad’s friends sat down across from them.

“Hello Senator,” Darcy said, sobering immediately.

“Hello Darcy.  And your companion?”

“Clint,” She said, purposely cutting off any other line of inquiry.  “Clint, this is Senator Johnson.”

“Sir,” Clint said, offering his hand.

The senator shook it as he looked Clint over.

“Son, you look familiar.”

Darcy tensed.

“I do security work for a lot of famous people.  You’ve probably seen me in the background of a lot of photos.”

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Senator Johnson said, leaning back in his chair, still examining Clint.  “Though,” he added, “I think that’s what you’d like me to believe.”

***

Clint stiffened slightly in his chair.  This was not a good time to be called out.  They were too close to done.  He smiled at the senator as his hands flew over his phone, texting Nat, but never looking down.

**This needs to happen NOW.  About to be made.**

**Clint, NO.**

**Nat, yes.**

“Well sir,”  Clint said, leaning forward onto his elbows, “what is it then?”

The senator tried to stare him down, but Clint never blinked, never looked away.

Senator Johnson nodded his head to Darcy.  “Does she know?”

“What’s there to know?” Clint countered.

“Who you are.”

Clint tilted his head quizzically, “She knows my name,” he said, purposefully being dense.  He didn’t look, but he could tell Darcy was half watching, half texting.  Probably filling Nat in on everything.

“And does she know what you do?”

“She knows I work security.”

“Does she know just what you are securing?”

_This is so boring,_ Clint thought. _He thinks he’s playing some sort of clever game.  Well, whatever it takes to keep him from making a scene._

“Pardon me, Senator,” Darcy broke in, “but I have some friends that will be here in a few minutes, so I want to grab a drink before they get here.”  She turned to him, eyes boring into him, making sure he got the very obvious message.  “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m good, babe,” he said, finishing their code phrase so she knew it was okay to get into position.

“Senator?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Darcy,” he said sweetly.  “I’m having a lovely conversation with your friend here.”

“You two play nice,” she said airily as she walked away.  Clint’s eyes tracked her for just a moment, not wanting her to be out of his sight.

“She’s a nice girl,” Senator Johnson said carefully.

Clint’s eyes narrowed.  “Yes, she is,” he said, looking again to see her at the drink table.

“It would be a shame if something happened to her.”

Clint nearly laughed at the senator.  “If you think she can’t defend herself, you have another thing coming.”

“You really think she can defend herself against a whole team sent to grab her?”

Clint pretended to think about it. _I’m pretty sure arrows would take care of this_ , he thought, thinking about his bow in Sam’s car.  

“I think you underestimate her,” he finally said, looking again to see Darcy make her way to Bennie.

“Do you really want to test that, Hawkeye?”

“Don’t think we’re going to need to,” he said.

“I have the people to take her and her sister from here right now,” he said, waving his hand vaguely at the assembled party.

Clint took his time looking around, taking in all the threats that the senator could be referring to.

**Nat, there’s a team here for D & B.** He texted in his pocket.

“You’re going to cause a scene if you try that,” Clint finally said.  “Darcy’s a screamer,” he said, giving a shark-like smile.

“She won’t be screaming if we drug her,” he smiled back.

**DON’T DRINK ANYTHING!** He frantically texted Darcy.

“Why do you want her?” Clint asked.

“Leverage.”

“Against who?” Clint asked.

“Her father, and, now you.”

Clint laughed.  “You know their parents don’t give a shit about them, right?”

This seemed to stop the senator, who apparently hadn’t considered this.

“Of course they care,” he finally said.  “They’re his daughters.”

“You need better intel,” Clint replied.  “If you had been here even thirty minutes ago, you would have heard their mother screaming that she never wanted them.”

“Your lies won’t save them.”

“You think I’m joking?”  Clint asked. He pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up the video Sam had sent him.  He showed the screen to Senator Johnson, volume on loud enough to be heard by the two of them, but not by anyone else.  His gut turned as he listened to the fight again, but was satisfied to see the senator seemed to be rethinking his plan.

“That’s a one time incident,” the senator finally said when Clint put his phone back in his pocket.

“You really think so?” Clint pressed.  “You think it’s a one time thing to tell a kid you never wanted them when all they did was run out for panty hose without telling you?”  Clint paused, gauging how hard to push.  “You heard Bennie.  She said this had been happening for a long time.  You know the girls.  Does Bennie ever lie?”

The senator was thinking when Clint heard a familiar sound.  He leaned back in his chair.

“Senator Johnson,” he said smugly, “I think your plan is about to go to shit.”

“Did someone have a party and not invite me?” Tony’s voice called through the Iron Man armour.  “That’s so rude!” He taunted as he landed just outside the tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey Tony! You never could resist a party, could you?


	15. Tony Being Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony enjoys being Tony at the Lewis's expense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM! Two chapters in one day! (Well, one day for me anyway. Time zones are funny.)

Tony walked into the tent and flipped up his mask, looking over the guests that were now staring at him.  It was so easy to be a distraction.  All he had to do was be himself.  Jesus did people love to watch him, hoping for some sort of train wreck.  That wouldn’t be him this afternoon, though.  Today’s trainwreck would be Jeff and Mallory Lewis.

“Looks like a nice thing you’ve got going here Lewises,” he said while making his way over to Mr. Lewis who was sitting at a table with several people that were also of questionable morals. When he got to Jeff, he clapped his hand down on his shoulder a little harder than was strictly necessary, keeping him seated.

“So,” he said conversationally, “how’s the trading of national secrets going?”

Jeff started to argue, but Tony cut him off.  “You’re not going to try and disagree, are you?  I mean, be my guest and try.  Doubt it would be any fun for me, seeing as I am a certified genius and you’re, well, not.  But I’m sure the guests here would love to hear all about how you are the reason our last peacekeeping mission went-and I mean this literally-explosively wrong.”  He smiled large and fake at Jeff with just a bit of mania in his eyes.  Jeff, wisely, kept his mouth shut.

Then Tony turned his focus from Jeff and looked out at his stunned audience.  “What?  Didn’t you guys know that?” He asked.  He gestured to Senator Johnson.  “C’mon Dick!  I know you knew!”  He switched to a stage whisper, “Also, I think it’s really shitty that your parents basically named you ‘penis’ twice, but that’s really no reason to be such an asshole.”  

He walked away from Jeff’s table and toward the drinks.  “I mean, you clearly did know, Dicky.  That’s why you decided to kidnap the girls, right?”  He took the ladle from the punchbowl and poured a little liquid into a compartment on his arm.  Jarvis read it instantaneously.  “Little sloppy drugging the entire bowl, don’tcha think?  I mean, how many other people are drinking punch right now?” Tony asked.

“I did no such thing!” Senator Johnson yelled.  “I only had their glasses drugged!”

Tony smiled.  “Yeah, I know, and now you’ve confessed in front of all these nice people.”  Tony made a tsk-ing sound.  “You should leave the supervillain stuff to others.  You’re shit at it.”

He started looking around the tent.  “Speaking of the girls, where’s my lackey?  Lewis!  Where are you?”

Darcy waved at him from the corner of the tent where she was huddled with, he could only assume, her sister.  “Darcy!”  He cheered.  “You need to get home soon.  Foster hasn’t slept since you left.”

Darcy threw her head back and sighed.  “What about you, Tony?  When’s the last time you ate?” she asked, theatrically exasperated.  He loved it when she played along.

“Not relevant.  Also not relevant is that Rhodey loved that pic you sent him last week.”  He laughed as Darcy made a choking sound.  “Pepper didn’t tell you that wasn’t a random number, did she?”  His eyes landed on Clint. “Hawkass!  Way to go!  I lost the betting pool, of course, but maybe she’ll be more manageable now.  Oh, also, Sam brought you a present.”  He waited for Sam to throw the bow to Clint before he continued.  “Oh!  You guys didn’t know any of this, did you?  Right, SHIELD cover story.  Soooo, Darcy’s not in HR.  She works for me, well technically Pepper, but same thing.  And, that means she’s under the protection of the Avengers, and I have _got_ to say that some of you have been colossal assholes to her, and that’s not okay.”

***

Darcy watched in utter glee as Tony pointed to her mom.  “Let’s start with you, Mallory Beth Lewis nee Lewis.  Oh, that’s right, Jeff took your name to add a layer of paperwork to his fake identity.”  Her dad started to get up and Tony glared at him.  “Don’t worry, you’re next.  But right now is all about Mallory.”

“Did you know that?” Bennie whispered to her.

“Not until last night when Clint told me,” she whispered back, not taking her eyes off Tony.

“You, Mrs. Lewis, are a real piece of work and, quite honestly, a lousy parent.  And I should know because I had one.  Ya know, when Darcy never went home for holidays, I assumed it was because I pay time and half, and, honestly, leaving me alone for the holidays would probably make her job ten times harder when she got back, but then she started dropping little hints about how much home sucked.”  He whipped back to face them.  “Except you, Bennet.  She adores the hell out of you.  We’ll have to chat later.”  He turned back to her mom.  “But you’re a real bitch.  Now, I’ve only got a little bit of it because Darcy’s pretty classy and doesn’t talk shit about her family, but I _did_ get the video from this morning where you yelled at her in the driveway.  You know, when you said you never wanted any children at all.”  He paused for a moment.  “Now, I want you to know that this next part truly comes from the bottom of my heart, but fuck you lady.”

“Hey,” Sam whispered in her ear.  Both Darcy and Bennie jumped.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” Darcy said, chiding herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings.  Natasha would be so pissed.

“You two okay?” He asked, eyes on Bennie.

They both nodded.  “Good,” he said, looking at Tony.

“I mean, really.  If you didn’t want kids, then don’t have them,” Tony said.

“It was Jeff’s idea,” their mom blurted out.  “He thought it would make us look respectable.”

“Seriously?” Tony asked, somewhat surprised.  “You had kids to help provide cover?”

“Well if both of them had been well behaved, it would have worked.  If the kids are above reproach, logic dictates that they learned it from their parents.  Darcy, however, couldn’t seem to stay in line.”

Darcy growled and Sam grabbed her arm.  “Hey, stay focused.  You can yell at her all you want once she’s in custody.  Ask her anything you want.  But first we need to get her into custody.”

“So why aren’t we doing that right now?”  Bennie asked.

“Because we’re still getting the team in place.  Right now it’s just what you see.  Nat’s coordinating the rest, but this is all going down a little sooner than we anticipated.”

“Because Senator Asshole wanted to kidnap us?”

“Pretty much.  Also, by any chance did you keep your glass?”

“What do you think I am, an ameteur?  Yeah, I bagged it already,” Darcy answered, gesturing toward the grass where she had placed the bag.

“Perfect,” Sam said.  “Tony’s going to keep stalling for us.  It’s looking like we’ll need to take the entire party in since at least a few of these people are Johnson’s goons.  When we take in your parents, that will set the tone.  You think they’ll come quietly?”

“No,” Darcy and Bennie said together.  “They’re not used to being called out.  They’ll try to run even though there’s no future for them after this,” Darcy added.

“Fun,” Sam said under his breath.  “I’ll let Natasha know.”

Sam crept back behind them to make the call.  Darcy scanned the crowd while she listened to Tony ramble.

“So let me get this straight,” Tony was saying, “You think Darcy’s some sort of bad egg because she was sick a lot, didn’t enjoy the opera lessons you made her take, and wanted to get into politics?”

“Well, not just that,” her mom scoffed.

“Lady, can you take a second and actually look at the situation?  Your daughter works for me, is dating an Avenger, and is basically BFFs with Thor.  I’d say she did pretty okay for herself.”

Darcy could feel tears springing to her eyes.  Tony would never admit it, but he basically was acting like a proud dad and it was the sweetest thing ever.

“Of course,” he added, “that’s not so good for you since you’re doing all sorts of illegal shit.”  Tony looked at Clint.  “Did you know who he was when she brought him home yesterday?”

Her mom just stared at Tony.

“Ohhhh that is _hilarious_.  You’re doing all sorts of international money laundering and information selling and you didn’t recognize your daughter bringing home _an Avenger_?  Lady, you’ve got to know your enemies!”  Tony smacked his leg like this was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

Darcy’s phone buzzed.   **Did you send Rhodey the pic you sent me today?**

**Really Clint?!**

**What?  Tony’s a windbag and I’m curious.**

**FINE.  Yes.  On a dare.**

“Let’s talk about you Jeff Aaron Lewis.  Except, that’s not your name, is it?  That’s an alias.  It took some digging, but I _did_ find your birth name.  Samuel Oliver Smith.  I don’t even know why you created a new identity.  That name’s just as much of a snooze as Jeff.  I mean, I don’t know why you changed your name besides the fact that you’ve been siphoning off money into his accounts.  I assume that’s for you when you decide to retire and leave your wife and kids high and dry.”

Her mom started coming at her dad, hitting him with all she had.

“Wooooo,” Tony cat called.  “Sounds like the missus didn’t know anything about that.”

**I wondered why you just had that on your phone.**

**Why’d you have one of you shirtless then? Sending that to people on dares?** She countered.

She looked up and saw that Clint had gone red again. _Very interesting_ she thought.

**Kind of?  Nat made me take it.**

**Why?**

**To send to you.**

**WHAT??????**

**Sending it to you was the dare.  I chickened out.**

**Ohhhhh boy do you owe me a story.**

**Can’t right now.  Busy.  Avenger stuff.**

Darcy looked over at Clint.  He looked over at her and she stuck her tongue out at him.

**That’s childish.**

**I thought you were busy with “Avenger Stuff”**

“Darcy,” Bennie said, pulling on her sleeve.  “Is that who I think it is?” She asked, nodding toward the side of the tent.

“Yes, yes it is,” she said as Steve stepped into the tent.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said in his Captain voice, “We’re going to need to take in Mr. and Mrs. Lewis here, and all of you will need to stay put for questioning.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, all hell broke loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had SO MUCH FUN writing Tony in this chapter.


	16. Punches, Blushes, and Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to break up this party.

As soon as everyone registered what Steve had just said, they were running like their lives depended on it.  And, for some of them, maybe it did.   _Wow Lewises.  That is some company you keep!_ Clint thought as he notched an arrow.  He smiled.  Life was good when he could fix problems with arrows.  He aimed above where Senator Johnson was running.  It hit with a thunk and a net sprang out, catching the senator and several others underneath it.   _I’ll have to thank Tony.  Net arrows are totally awesome._

Clint walked over to the trapped group.  “Now you all behave until someone comes to gather you!” he said cheerfully.  “Also, Senator, don’t fuck with my girlfriend.”  He smiled and hummed as he moved to the DJ stand so he could get a better view of the scene.

***

Steve sighed.  Why did it always go this way?  Why wouldn’t people just come quietly like he asked?  Was a little patience and quiet acceptance too much to ask?  Maybe it was an inherent character flaw if you did illegal activities.  He’d have to think about that later.  He looked to his left.  Was someone really going to fight him? The man came charging at him.  Steve simply held up his shield and crouched behind it.  The man ricocheted off with a satisfying ping.  Steve stood up and stood over the very dazed man.

“That wasn’t too bright,” he said, grabbing the man and hauling him to his feet.  The man started to protest, but Steve just pulled him over to the edge of the tent where a junior agent was waiting.  

“Cuff this one, please,” he asked.

“But I didn’t do anything!” the man protested.

“Son, you purposefully ran yourself into my shield.  You might not be a criminal, but you are criminally stupid.”

The junior agent snickered as she cuffed the man and pushed him over to a waiting van.

Steve turned back to the tent.  One idiot down, about thirty more to go.

***

Darcy crouched down with Bennie under a table.

“We have two options here.  We can stay put and do our best to stay safe, or we can make a run for the edge and hope that whatever agents are at the edge will know who we are and not try to arrest us.”

“Do you really think they’ll arrest us?” Bennie asked.

“I would if I was them,” she answered.  “I mean, if they don’t know what we look like, there’s no way of knowing we are who we say we are.”

“How bad would that be?”

“As long as we don’t fight it, it will just be tedious.  It will take forever for someone who knows us to come and vouch for us.  We’ll probably sit in cuffs for at least an hour.  It’s going to take a while to clean up this mess.”

“And if we stay put?”

“We have a better chance of people believing us because I can yell to whoever is close and they’ll vouch for us.  Plus we can watch the action.”

“Okay.  Let’s go with that one,” Bennie said, eyes finding Sam.  

Darcy smiled.  “Good choice.”

Except, of course, someone else had to make it not a great choice.  Bennie screamed as someone grabbed at her feet and started pulling her out from under the table.  Darcy tried to grab her hands and pull her back, but she just couldn’t get a good grip.

“Oh hell no.  No one steals my sister!” she yelled.

***

“Help!” a woman screamed.

Sam knew that voice.  He started searching the tent for Bennie and Darcy.  He turned to his right and punched the guy running at him.  The man staggered and fell over.  Finally, Sam locked eyes on their location.  Mallory was dragging Bennie out from under the table.  He took off for them, determined to stop whatever she was trying to do.

As he got to them, though, he realized he needn’t have worried.  Bennie was kicking herself free ferociously.  One well aimed kick in the knee later, she was free and Mallory was on the ground. As Bennie scrambled away, Darcy hiked up her skirt, pulled out her taser, and fired in one fluid motion.

As she convulsed on the ground, Darcy towered over her.  “That isn’t even a start of the pain repayment I owe you,” she all but spit at Mallory.

Sam turned to help Bennie up off the ground, silently agreeing with Darcy.  As he pulled Bennie up, she threw her arms around him, starting to cry.

“Shhhhh, it’s okay now,” he whispered in her ear.  “You really kicked her ass.  After a few training sessions I think you’ll be pretty lethal.”

That got a laugh out of her.  “You going to train me, soldier?” she asked.

“That and so much more.  If you’ll let me, that is.”

She smiled.  “Well, I don’t have a job yet, and no one would think it odd if I stayed with my sister for a while after this traumatizing experience.”

“Miss, I think you’re manipulating this situation to your favor, and I am not going to argue with that.”  He swept a hand under her legs and picked her up.  “I think you’re in shock now.  Let me carry you over to a safe place.”

Her blush was the prettiest answer she could have given.

***

“Babe!” Clint called as he came upon Darcy tasing her mom.  She turned to look at him.  “That was so hot!”

His neck flushed red.   _Brain!  What was that?  Bad job, brain!_

She smirked at him and put her taser back into her thigh holster.   _Also hot_ , his brain helpfully supplied.  But then she grabbed his face and pulled her into him, kissing him hard and needy, and his brain shorted out.

He grabbed her hips, pulling her close to him as he started kissing down her neck.

Someone cleared their throat behind Darcy.  He looked up.

“Nat, no,” he whined.

“Nat yes,” she said, eyes boring into him.

He sighed and pulled away from Darcy.

“This is not done,” he said to Darcy, trying to sound like he hadn’t just been busted.  “But I’ve got to do some important Avenger stuff now.”

Darcy just laughed and rolled her eyes at him.  “Very not done, arrow boy,” she said.

_Stupid family.  Stupid party.  Stupid job.  Is it really too much to ask to make out with my girlfriend?!_

***

Natasha smirked as Darcy turned away from Clint and ran smack into her.  She placed her hands on Darcy’s shoulders.

“Sorry!” Darcy squeaked.

“For which thing?  Obscenely kissing Clint in the middle of a fight?  Not noticing me because you aren’t paying attention to your surroundings?  Running into me?”

“You’re going to kick my ass in training tomorrow, aren’t you?” Darcy asked as Natasha guided her out of the tent.

“I do that every session.  Why should tomorrow be any different?”

“Because I’m getting Clint out of your hair?” Darcy asked hopefully.

“No,” Natasha said firmly.  “He’s just going to be worse now.  He’ll think everything he does is the wrong thing and that you’re about to break up with him.”

“Really?” Darcy asked, surprised.

“Yes, really.  You’re not the only one that didn’t grow up in a loving household.”  Natasha looked at the tent.  Things were nearly wrapped up.  She turned back to Darcy, pushing her down into a chair.  “If you hurt him, I will hurt you.  You’re free to break up, but don’t toy with him, or I will gladly play my own games with you.”

“Did you just give me a shovel talk?”

“I did,” Natasha conceded.

“Oh.  My. Thor!”  She cried.   “Another thing to cross off my bucket list!”  She bolted out of her chair, hugging a startled Natasha.

“Yes, well,” Natasha said peeling Darcy off her.  “Gotta go.  Avenger stuff.”

She walked back into the tent.   _Where’s Jeff?_  She thought.   _I’d like to knee him in the balls._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a roll right now! 17 should be out pretty quickly too.
> 
> Also, I cannot say this enough, THANK YOU everyone. The comments on chapter 15 were amazing and humbling. I'm so happy that so many of you enjoyed it as much as I did.


	17. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys! Last chapter. Have I told you all I love you and thank you for enjoying this fic? Because I do, love you all that is. You are all precious internet gems that I cherish.

Things wrapped up quickly once Darcy and Bennie were safe on the sidelines.  The agents surrounding the tent secured people as they slowly closed in until everyone was accounted for.  Now came the long part-sorting through everyone and determining who was really innocent.  If you had asked Darcy before the party, she would have thought most of these people were innocent bystanders.  But now?  Now, she wasn’t so sure.

She took Bennie back inside the house.  Neither of them had eaten since breakfast, and it was nearly three.  

“I am starving, and there’s nothing we can do here,” she said, dragging Bennie from the yard.

“But what about…”

“They’ll all have to debrief.  That takes _forever_ ,” Darcy said emphatically.  “I wonder if the caterers checked out and we can grab some of that to eat,” she said absently as she looked for something easy to make for them for lunch.

“Probably not,”  Bennie sighed, “at least one of them was there to drug our drinks.”

“True,” Darcy said nodding.

“Dee,” Bennie asked quietly, “what does this mean for us?”

Bennie’s vulnerable tone made Darcy stop what she was doing to focus on Bennie.

“What do you want it to mean?” She asked carefully.

“I don’t really know,” Bennie admitted.  “Right now I never want to see either of them again.  But that doesn’t change that they’re our parents, and I think that my feelings might change.  But I don’t want them to.  They aren’t good people.  I don’t want to care about them.”

Darcy slid onto the stool next to Bennie.  “I know what you mean,” she said.  “Even when I stayed away and avoided them, they were still my parents.  Even after all that shit.  I kind of hate myself for it.”

Bennie leaned her head against Darcy.  “Don’t feel that way.  If we’re going to hate anyone, it should be them.  We’re not the ones that did anything wrong.”

“Always the voice of reason, Bennet.”

“But what happens now?  To us?”

Darcy started rubbing circles on Bennie’s back.  “The house will probably become government property as payment for what they’ve done.  All of the assets, probably.  We’ll need to pack up everything that’s ours so it doesn’t get caught up in that.  After that, we get on with our lives.  We’ll probably be called to testify at some hearings, but we’ll be fine.  None of this is on us.”  Darcy scrunched her nose, thinking.  “I’m not sure, legally, but they might take your trust.  That money could have been from their activities.”

“It was mostly gone anyway,” Bennie said.

“Really?”

“Well, I paid for my school and whatever I could of yours.  I kind of tacked on a PhD that mom and dad didn’t know about, so that’s a lot of money.”

“I didn’t know you got your PhD,” Darcy said, turning to look at Bennie.

“Neither did they,” she smiled.  “It’s a research degree.  It was actually pretty easy to add on.  It only took me a year longer. And since I did my undergrad in three, they never realized it.”

“My sister is a genius,” Darcy marveled.  “I just have the one degree, and it took me five years to do it.”

“Well,” Bennie said, “you did help save the world along the way.  Besides,” she smiled, “you work for the Avengers. I’d say you did all right.”

“Speaking of,” Darcy said, “do you want to come stay with me for a while?  Take some time to figure all this out?  Maybe reschedule some interviews?”

“Maybe schedule one with me?” A voice behind them asked.

“Mr. Stark!” Bennie yelped.

“How long you been standing there, Tony?” Darcy asked.

“Long enough to hear she has several degrees that I’m sure I could put to good use.”  He shrugged.  “Besides. Clint’s got that pile of fur he calls a dog, so we probably could use a vet.”  

“Lucky just hasn’t been all that lucky is all.  He had a hard life, and now Clint’s taking care of him,” Darcy protested.

“Yeah, that sort of explains a lot of what Clint does,” Tony snarked.  “Picking up strays with bad history and taking care of them.”

Darcy hit his chest.

“I just call it like I see it,” he said.

Darcy got up.  “Sit down Tony, talk to Bennie.  I’ll make us something to eat.  I’m pretty sure you haven’t eaten in days.”

“Does…” he started to ask.

“No, coffee does not count.  Coffee is not food.”

Tony fell onto the stool next to Bennie.  “Was she always like this?” He asked.

“Yes,” Bennie said, “Darcy has always taken care of everyone.”

***

Clint watched while Tony and Bennie talked and Darcy made lunch.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tony so calm,” Sam said next to him,

“He’s talking science but exhausted,” Clint said.

“This wasn’t much of a fight,” Sam said carefully.

“No, but he had been up for probably the whole weekend before this.”  Clint looked at Sam, “And he did a lot of the research into the Lewises before you guys got here.  He won’t say it, but he likes Darcy and was pretty set on destroying her parents.”

“Oh,” Sam said, “I think he said it.  Were you listening to him stalling for us?”

Clint tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point.

**Are you two going to keep staring or are you going to join us for lunch?**

Clint showed Sam the message.

“Well, I am kinda hungry,” he said, looking at Bennie.

“For more than food, it seems,” Clint said, smirking.

“Can you blame me?” Sam laughed.

Clint pushed him inside and to the counter.

**I guess that I don’t need to send you a picture since you decided to join us.**

**I can go back outside.**

**Use your words, arrow boy.**

**Can I still have a picture?**

**:)**

Clint opened the photo of Darcy in her underwear, taser in her thigh holster, and gulped.

**When’d you take that?**

**Just a few minutes ago in the bathroom.  I’ll show you the real thing once we’re home.**

“Hey,” Clint said looking at everyone, “want to take this to go?  I don’t know about you guys, but I’d love to get home.”

Darcy smirked.

**Real subtle.**

**Don’t care.  Need you.**

“C’mon boys,” Natasha called from the door, “wheels up in ten.”

“We’re bringing Lackey and Dr. Lackey with us,” Tony said.

Clint smiled.

**You’re welcome.** Nat texted him.

**Ummm, thanks?**

**Darcy forgot it was a group message. ;)**

** Nat! **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter went up later than anticipated because I got caught up reading soulmate fics. I'm obsessed, you guys. I think I might do some of my own. Maybe a little one-shot series in between chapters of my next longer fic,
> 
> Speaking of, after over 100 votes (which-holy shit!), 43% of you wanted to see a continuation of National Siblings Day, where Darcy is Coulson's sister, and he sets her up with Clint. So be looking for that to start soon!


End file.
